


Flames Beneath The Earth

by Ilya_Boltagon



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lu Ten (Avatar) Lives, Order of the White Lotus, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, protective Lu Ten (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29313762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilya_Boltagon/pseuds/Ilya_Boltagon
Summary: Lu Ten survives the Siege of Ba Sing Se, unknown to his family. When word reaches of him of his power-hungry uncle becoming Fire Lord upon Azulon's death, while Iroh and Ursa have mysteriously vanished, he elects to remain hidden for his own safety. Two years later, he sets out to track down his cousin Zuko, who has been banished from the Fire Nation, wanting to reunite with at least one family member.
Relationships: Azula & Lu Ten, Iroh & Lu Ten, Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Lu Ten & Zuko
Comments: 140
Kudos: 189





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [siambre](https://archiveofourown.org/users/siambre/gifts).



Light was the first thing he became aware of. A soft light, dim, and yet it seared his eyes, making him squeeze them shut again.

“He's awake! Mama, he opened his eyes a minute ago!”

A high-pitched voice. A child's? The only children he knew were his little cousins... had he been brought home? The surface he was lying on was somewhat soft. Was he in the infirmary? He wracked his brains, trying to remember what had happened. His last memory was of the massive hole in the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. He'd been leading troops through when a small group of men in dark green uniforms and helmets had caught his attention, apparently focused on him, then, mere moments after that, it'd felt as if the very earth had ripped itself apart. There had been panicked voices, screams, crashing, and then... darkness.

“Song, keep back for a moment, sweetheart.” A woman's voice, now, not a child's, utterly unfamiliar.

He forced his eyes open again, tasting salt as tears of pain ran down his cheeks and onto his dry lips. It took a moment, but his surroundings came into focus. A medium sized room, lit mainly by candles, the details still too blurry to make out. He was lying on a bed, as he'd thought, but the room itself he'd never seen before.

A woman clad in simple green robes stood beside the bed, a child who resembled her at her side. The woman was gazing at him anxiously.

“Whe...” He'd meant to ask 'Where am I?' but his throat was dry as dust and his voice failed him, as if he hadn't used it for a long time.

“It's all right,” the strange woman soothed, her voice low. “I'm a healer. You were found in the rubble of the battlefield. You were alone, with no identification, so you were brought here to see if you-” she glanced at the child and cut herself off. “Until you woke.”

He swallowed hard, determined to find out more. “Whe... hrrre?” He'd meant 'where is here' and couldn't understand why his voice wasn't working.

Thankfully, the healer woman seemed to understand. “You're in a small village, a few miles from Ba Sing Se.”

A village... in the Earth Kingdom? How had he gotten here? His eyes darted from side to side, and he began squirming, struggling to sit up. It was at this point that his limbs decided to inform him that they would much rather shake and quiver and throb than obey him, and he had to give up and lie still, panting for breath.

If he'd been brought to this place... had Ba Sing Se been conquered, or not? What had happened to his troops, his people?

His father?

“It's alright, calm down.” The woman soothed, brushing a hand on his forehead before turning to the child. “Song, can you fetch our guest some water, please?”

“Yes, Mama.” The little girl nodded obediently, slipping out of the room.

The woman turned back to him, her face a little sadder. “You don't have to be afraid, young man. The Fire Nation was driven off. Ba Sing Se is safe again now.”

 _What?_ They'd lost? How?! A siege of 600 days had just... been stopped? This news did little to calm him, but when the child- Song- returned with a pitcher of water and the woman helped him drink, he found he was able to speak, albeit in a rasping whisper. He'd also regained enough wits to speak as if he were, at the very least, neutral in the war: he was behind enemy lines, after all. “How.. did... the earth kingdom... win?”

The woman shrugged. “After the Dragon of the West lost his son, it seems he lost his will to fight. He abandoned the siege and returned to the Fire Nation. Without him, the Siege collapsed, thank the spirits. They'd already penetrated the Outer Wall. Who knows how much further those monsters would've gotten? And if they'd taken Ba Sing Se, then our kingdom might as well surrender now.” She smoothed her hand over her little girl's hair protectively.

He just about managed to contain his shock to attempt a nod, praying that his disbelief didn't show on his face at all. The Dragon of the West's son had 'died', had he? He would love to know who'd started spreading that rumor. No matter though. As soon as he was recovered enough, he could leave (hopefully still remaining anonymous until he could escape the Earth Kingdom) head home and set the record straight. For now, though, he needed to recover his strength, and in order to do that, he needed to stay on the good side of his hosts, and make sure they didn't work out who he was. For once, he was glad that he didn't have the distinctive golden eyes of the Royal Family- that could have given him away in a heartbeat.

“Thannnk yuuu.” He managed. “Forrr yr help.” He still sounded as if he were drunk, but his words seemed to be getting clearer. He meant it, too. Obviously these people had no idea he was from the Fire Nation (which made him wonder how badly he'd been hurt, to make his military uniform unrecognizable), but he still owed them for their help, and intended to send reparations of some kind once he'd made it home.

For now though, he needed time to recover. Even this brief attempt at conversation had wearied him, and his eyes were already drooping shut.

“You're welcome.” The woman reassured him. “I'm glad to offer aid to anyone hurt by this accursed war. But you need to rest. We can speak more later.” She shooed her daughter from the room, extinguishing candles as she went, closing the door softly behind her.

Once he was alone, Lu Ten focused on breathing slowly and deeply, his eyes locked on the candle closest to him. At his silent command, it lit, brightened then dimmed. He exhaled heavily, blowing it out again. At least his bending still worked, though he'd have to keep it hidden here in this village. Anonymity was his best protection until he recovered from his injuries. He hoped his family weren't grieving _too_ much over a lie, he thought fuzzily as sleep claimed him...

* * *

The next... few days? He wasn't sure, due to his tendency to fall asleep far too often- passed in much the same way. He would wake, the woman would come to check on him, give him water and soft foods, and, gradually, he regained his strength. He went by the false name of 'Pao', a private joke since 'Pao' meant 'cover' in the Earth Kingdom language, and he was now _living_ undercover, temporarily. Eventually, he was well enough to stand, albeit with the aid of crutches, and worked hard to regain his former mobility, all the while wondering and worrying about his family. His father believed him _dead_. He had to be devastated, and just thinking of that grief broke his heart. He had to leave here as soon as possible, and return home, set things right. To that end, he began offering to help the healer- Sila- as much as he could, saying it was to repay her kindness in caring for him. In truth, she often tended to wounded soldiers who'd survived the siege, and he tried to discreetly question them about the war. (And if the injuries they had, inflicted by soldiers of his own nation, sickened him, he hid it well.) From the bits and pieces of information he gathered, things were basically at a standstill now the Fire Nation had withdrawn the Siege. To his surprise, he found he enjoyed working with the wounded, seeing them recover as best they could (even if they did constantly speak badly of his nation.)

When a month had passed since he had awoken, and he was considering moving on and beginning his journey home, however, news reached the small village that changed everything.

He'd been drawing water from the well for Sila to use in washing bandages when he first heard the rumors, and he'd been so stunned he'd dropped the bucket, dousing water all over himself.

“Fire Lord Azulon is dead!”

The news was proclaimed joyfully among the village, even as he stood, frozen to the core. His grandfather, dead? How? Azulon had been old, but healthy... what could have possibly happened? As bad as this sounded though, it got worse as he listened to the gossip flying back and forth.

“No-one knows what killed him!”

“The Dragon of the West is Firelord now, then?”

“No, no, seems Azulon changed his will, so his second son is the new Firelord.”

“Please. I give it a month before Ozai's challenged by Iroh. Ozai's no general, he's never even seen combat! Besides, the younger son shouldn't inherit.”

 _That_ he thoroughly agreed with, though he struggled to keep his face impassive. Azulon changing his will, revoking Iroh's rights as heir, letting Ozai rule in his place? Azulon didn't- or hadn't, he reflected sadly, feeling a pang of grief for his grandfather- even like Ozai. (Though, to be fair, no-one really liked Uncle Ozai.) He re-focused on the two old men who were still debating the issue.

“...telling you, it's because Ozai's younger. It'll mean decades more of rule- and of war. Whereas if Iroh had taken over... they say he's lost his taste for battle, after losing his son. It might've meant this damned war ended soon. It won't now.” The sour-faced speaker spat on the ground, his digust clear. “Thought I might see peace in my life. Wishful thinking, it seems. Besides, there's been no sign of General Iroh for months. Not in the capital, not on any battlefield.”

“Seems convenient, doesn't it?” A woman that he recognized from the market added drily. “The old Firelord dies, his heir is absent, and it 'just happens' that the younger son who never made a name for himself is crowned Firelord? Especially since his wife's vanished as well.”

His head spun and he all but staggered away from the three villagers as their debate continued. The woman's words made horrifying sense, and if it was all true, Grandfather dead, Father and Aunt Ursa missing, Uncle Ozai the new Firelord... it was too suspicious.

Had his uncle arranged this, somehow? Planned a coup, seized the throne upon Azulon's death? It was treason, but, if he was honest, he could see his uncle doing it.

(The other alternative, the darker possibility, his mind's whisper that it was _too_ coincidental for Azulon to die right after being persuaded to name Ozai his heir, he thoroughly squashed. Even Uncle Ozai would never go that far, to harm his own family, surely?)

Whatever the truth of this, though, Lu Ten realized with a sinking heart, he couldn't go home yet. Not until he understood what was going on. His father and aunt both being 'missing', and Ozai, who'd never liked Lu Ten or Iroh, now being in power, meant the capital- perhaps even the whole Fire Nation- might not be safe for him. If, as he feared, Ozai had orchestrated this to seize the throne, then he might _never_ be able to go home. If his uncle had, Agni forbid, had something to do with Azulon's death, who knew what else he was capable of?

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and think for a second. OK, so Ozai was now Firelord. If word was being spread of that, then, in theory, his uncle felt secure in his power, believing no-one would challenge him, and, really, who would? Officially, Lu Ten was dead, and, if the rumors could be trusted, Iroh had been broken by the (false) death. It was doubtful he would fight for the throne, Lu Ten reflected. Family had meant more to Father than anything, and with himself 'dead' and Azulon dead, he could see why his father might have given up. (And apparently disappeared, but he wasn't dead. Father was NOT dead.) If Lu Ten reappeared, however, while Ozai sat on the ill-gotten throne that should have been Iroh's...

Lu Ten's heart cracked in his chest as he realized. For his father's safety, and for his own, he could not return to the Fire Nation. While he was 'dead', his father would have no incentive to fight Ozai for the throne, no son to pass the mantle of Fire Lord to, and thus Ozai would have no reason to eliminate him as he (possibly) had Azulon.

No. 'Lu Ten' needed to remain tragically dead, and Pao, his false name, would have to become his only one.

A single tear slipped from his eye as he turned to go back to Sila's. Whether he'd stay here in the village, or travel elsewhere in the Earth Kingdom, he wasn't sure. It didn't seem to matter at the moment, as the knowledge that he might never see his beloved father, or his sweet little cousins: Zuko, who hero-worshipped him, and little Azula, who was always eager to show off her firebending for him, ever again.

He'd just have to trust and hope that they were safe and well, and that, someday, Ozai would become less of a danger, and then perhaps Pao could be discarded, and Lu Ten could reappear like a phoenix from the ashes.


	2. Chapter 2

“Pao, can you pass me the sharper scythe please? Pao!”

Lu Ten jumped as a pebble hit him in the back of the shoulder, and he whipped round, tearing his eyes away from the rising of the sun. “What was that for?!”

“Oh, you are awake then!” Ruton, the owner of the field that Lu Ten had agreed to help harvest this morning, shook his head, grinning. “Called you twice and you didn't answer. Sunrise too early for you or something, my friend?”

Lu Ten managed a grin as he handed the sharper of the two scythes to the older man. “No, it's just... my mind was elsewhere.” Inwardly, he was kicking himself. It had been two years since he'd adopted the name Pao as his own, and it was rare now for him to forget to answer to it. But today, the Summer Solstice, was his youngest cousin Azula's birthday. Up until he'd left for the war, he'd always taken her- and Zuko- to watch the sun come up from the palace roof on their birthdays, encouraging them to make a wish. Azula was eleven now, he thought wistfully. Zuko was _thirteen_. Did they remember him at all? Did they miss him?

As he set about threshing the wheat, he used more force than was strictly necessary to separate the heads from the stems.

Ruton raised a brow at the inherent violence in his movements, but didn't comment.

Lu Ten had learned, during the two years he'd lived and worked in the village, that plenty of people had aggression to work out. It had horrified him to learn just how hated the Fire Nation- his own people- really were. Even in this tiny village, an inconsequential corner of the Earth Kingdom, stories spread of cruelty inflicted by firebenders and by other Fire Nation soldiers. If even _half_ of it was true... how could such things be permitted? War was one thing, but terrorizing civilians was another. Whole families had been torn apart- and now, even the war was beginning to seem less and less like a good thing. Children cowered in terror at the _mention_ of the Imperial Army.

Lu Ten always struggled to make sense of it. In the Fire Nation, children were taught that the war was a good thing, a necessity so the Fire Nation could expand its borders and share their greatness with the world.

Apparently nobody had told the schoolmasters and tutors that the world hated them all.

Even little Song, the child whose mother had healed him when he first came here, and who'd given him a home until the village worked with him to build his own small cottage, had been affected by the horror of war. Her father had been captured during a raid when she had been only four years old (why soldiers needed to raid a tiny farming village, Lu hadn't the faintest idea) and during the incident, Song had received a burn that left a scar on her leg that would be there for life.

Even thinking of that now made Lu Ten's blood boil, and the next row of wheat he cut down almost exploded with the strength he used. If he ever found out _who_ had done that, used the art of firebending to scar and disfigure a child for no reason... he'd make sure to show them how it felt.

Not that he'd done any Firebending in years, of course. At first, it had been because he needed to remain hidden. And then, the more he heard of his nation's crimes, the less inclined he was to firebend. He'd always been taught it was something to be proud of, to have mastered the greatest element, but, from the numerous burn injuries he'd seen (and helped) Sila treat, from the tales he heard of towns reduced to ashes.... how could it truly be a good thing?

He shook his head, trying to clear it before his thoughts became circular. He didn't know, and couldn't change anything now if he did. If things had been different, if Azulon had lived, if Iroh had taken the throne... so many 'ifs'. But that hadn't happened. Ozai was Fire Lord, the war raged on, and Lu Ten no longer existed. Pao, the simple laborer of this village, just had to make a life as best he could.

It wasn't truly that bad, he mused, as he used the rag Ruton tossed him to wipe sweat from his brow, then took a deep swig from his waterskin. A day's honest work put food on the table, he had a roof over his head... what more could he ask for?

_Your father and your cousins, your home, your title._

He crushed that thought. The past was in the past. Even if he overlooked the possibility of Ozai meaning him harm if he returned, it had been two years. His family would have grieved, and moved on. Better to let things be, no matter how lonely he got.

Later that day, as he helped little Song, now aged twelve, gather herbs for her mother (pretending to be oblivious to her giggling and blushes whenever he looked at her) she was chattering away and he was nodding at opportune times, but not truly paying attention, when she abruptly stood bolt upright, then darted to half hide behind him, rigid with tension.

Lu Ten glanced around, unsure at first what had frightened the girl, but then he saw the stranger (to Song's eyes) striding through the village, towards the tiny market the place had. His heart skipped a beat, for even out of uniform, and trying to act casual, the man's bearing was clearly that of a Fire Nation soldier. As he drew nearer to them, Lu Ten could make out more details: iron-grey hair with thick sideburns, a stern face...

“Jee?” He whispered incredulously. What was one of the lieutenants from the Siege doing _here_? Luckily, neither Jee nor Song had actually heard him. Lu Ten had never been so grateful that he'd let his hair and beard grow out over the last two years, and that the sun had turned his pale skin a rich shade of brown. His altered appearance, and the rough, homespun Earth Kingdom tunic and trousers he wore, should make him unrecognizable, even to someone who'd known him at the siege- he hoped. Nonetheless, he kept his head bowed, hoping Jee wouldn't look too closely at him, as Sila and the other village elders noticed the stranger and approached warily, many of them bearing knives or clubs that they'd hastily snatched up.

Jee held his hands up in a peacemaking gesture. “I mean no harm. I need supplies for a journey, and I am willing to pay.”

A journey? Lu Ten blinked, still keeping his head down. Why would a Fire Nation soldier leave home with insufficient supplies, and then travel to a place as small as this to restock? Was Jee in some sort of trouble, needing to stay hidden? The old soldier had always been a good man, very trustworthy, Lu Ten reflected. He hoped the village wouldn't turn him away, but speaking up would only draw attention to him that he didn't need or want.

The elders debated for several minutes before grudgingly agreeing that Jee could buy some supplies- as long as it didn't take _all_ their produce. Jee protested that he could pay, and take as much as he needed, but Sila cut him off with “We can't eat coin, thank you very much!”

Eventually, Jee took as much as the villagers would allow, while being watched like a hawk the entire time, and Lu Ten couldn't help but gawk at the amount of food and medicines he purchased. Was Jee maintaining an army?!

The very real possibility of that made Lu Ten's blood run cold. Another army, another battle, more needless deaths 'for the glory of the Fire Nation'... How could he stand by idly, when it was happening so close to him?

When Ruton volunteered to follow Jee for a while, to make sure he caused no trouble, Lu Ten immediately announced he would go too. They kept their distance, but he had no doubt Jee knew they were there. The older man walked a considerable distance, and it soon became clear he was heading for a small bay that fed into the ocean.

Moored in the bay was a small, outdated Fire Nation warship.

Ruton paled upon seeing it, and would have run back to the village then and there. Lu Ten could just see how that would go: country folk armed with knives and clubs and pitchforks against Fire Nation soldiers. He just managed to hold him back, whispering to wait, to find out more.

They were concealed in a hedgerow by this point, and Jee was grumbling about the amount of bags he was struggling to carry, muttering to himself. One phrase caught Lu Ten's attention, making his ears prick up.

“....thinks he's still the Crown Prince, despite being banished, arrogant boy. Should've made him get his own supplies!”

Crown Prince? Was Jee talking about Zuko? _Banished_? What in Agni's name...

“Bloody ashmaker,” Ruton almost spat. “Wish I spoke their language. Spirits only know what he's plotting.”

Oh, right. Lu Ten quickly arranged his face into a blank mask. Pao didn't speak the language of the Fire Nation, after all.

“He's got his supplies, and they're probably just going to leave.” He tried to sound reassuring. “You head back to the village, warn them just in case, but don't do anything yet.”

Ruton gave him a doubtful look. “And you?”

“I'll stay here til they leave.”

Ruton nodded and darted away, casting uneasy glances back at him. Lu Ten almost felt bad for lying as he crept closer to the bay, an almost forgotten fire awakening in his blood, calling to him. If he hadn't misheard Jee, if for whatever reason, Zuko was here, Lu Ten just _had_ to see him, just once.

As Jee approached, and Lu Ten stayed crouched behind a boulder, several figures appeared. Mainly sailors from the looks of them, all eagerly helping Jee with his bags and packages, and then...

 _Oh, Agni..._ The grey-haired bearded figure clad in robes was stouter than Lu Ten remembered, and he looked far more sorrowful, with lines of grief on his face, but he was sure he'd recognize him anywhere.

“Father.” His heart ached to run forward, reveal himself, embrace him... but he couldn't. The reasons he had chosen to stay hidden hadn't changed.

Swallowing the lump in his throat and blinking back tears, he focused on the figure now standing next to Iroh, apparently yelling orders at the others. Young, slender... taller than Iroh, but if Lu Ten was honest, that wouldn't take much. The boy's head was shaved, only a swath of inky black hair, pulled into a ponytail, keeping him from being completely bald. He was clad entirely in Fire Nation armor, and half his face was scowling. Only half his face, because the other half was wrapped in bandages. Despite how much he'd changed, Lu Ten recognized those golden eyes, the shape of the boy's face, and could barely keep from gasping. _Zuko_.

What could possibly have happened to turn his sweet, kind little cousin into this cold, angry teenager? And his _face_...

To hell with hiding, Lu Ten decided abruptly. Something was clearly badly wrong, if Zuko had been banished after being so badly hurt that half his face had been damaged, and hadn't even been given time to heal before being sent into exile! His cousin needed him. (And Lu Ten wasn't sure if he could have walked away, knowing his father was close either, not really.)

Feeling only a prick of guilt for the people of the village that had sheltered him for two years (he'd find a way to make it up to them for disappearing somehow,) he continued his stealthy descent towards the vessel, reaching it just as the last of the crew made it on board, and, without hesitating, he grabbed onto the anchor chain as it was winched up. With much hauling and screaming protest from his muscles, he managed to slip through an open porthole, thanking the spirits that he'd entered an empty room. Now he had to conceal himself until he figured out the best way to tell his father and cousin the truth. Preferably without giving them both heart attacks.

After sneaking around for a while (and thankfully not running into anyone) he decided the best place to stay hidden and think through his explanation would be the brig: it would have some manner of sleeping mat, and it was doubtful anyone would just wander in there.

Finding it with ease (and thanking the spirits that all Fire Nation battleships had similar layouts) he slipped inside and closed the door, already rehearsing what he'd say when he decided to show himself to the others on the ship, and praying they'd believe him, despite his changed appearance.

 _Father will know me,_ Lu Ten consoled himself as he settled down on the thin mat. _Even if no-one else does_.


	3. Chapter 3

Lu Ten's stomach growled as he crept along the corridor, and he pressed a hand against it in a futile attempt to stifle the noise. He'd stayed in the brig, meditating in silence as the ship had made its way out to sea. As far as Lu could tell, they were heading south, but it was hard to be sure while he hid below deck. He'd remained hidden until nightfall, ignoring the cramping in his limbs urging him to move, then, when he judged it safe, he had crept out of the brig, intending to- quietly- approach whoever was on guard that night.

To his relief, Jee had been patrolling below deck, and by making frequent use of dark corners and storage cupboards, Lu had been able to follow him for some time, waiting for him to be far enough away from any others that he wouldn't wake half the ship once Lu showed himself. But it seemed as if Jee fully intended to pace throughout the ship all night! Lu began to think the man would never stand still.

At that moment, Jee turned around a corner. Lu Ten followed the soldier into a dim hallway. Hot air was radiating from the engine room at the end of the corridor, but the soldier was nowhere to be seen.

Without warning, two hands looped under Lu Ten's armpits, lifting his arms above his head, rendering them useless. His assailant's hands then pinned him in a headlock.

"Who are you? How did you get on this vessel? Why have you been following me half the night?!" Jee's harsh voice demanded.

Lu Ten let himself relax: he _could_ throw Jee off, but that wouldn't be the best way to start this conversation. “I wish to offer my services to the good men commanding this vessel.” He replied, speaking in the Fire Nation's language, not the Common Tongue Jee had used.

He felt the soldier's grip slacken just a tiny bit.

"You speak our language?" Jee asked in the Fire Nation tongue. Making sure to still keep his arms restrained, Jee walked round him, squinting to get a good look at Lu's face.

“Who are you, boy? You speak like a noble, and your face... you seem familiar. Have we met before?”

Lu barely kept his grin in check. Had they met, indeed. Jee had commanded the first battalion that Lu Ten had joined, when he'd been just seventeen. The long hair, beard and commoner's clothing were doing a better job disguising him than he'd hoped. The problem was, what could he say now to convince Jee of who he was? To Jee, Lu Ten had been dead for two years...

To buy some time to think, and to dispel the gloom of the corridor, Lu Ten conjured a small globe of fire in his hand, keeping it still and close to him so Jee wouldn't interpret it as an attack.

Jee's mouth dropped open. "A _firebender_ , speaking like the son of a noble house, stowing away here, dressed in Earth Kingdom clothing? Who in Agni's name _are_ you?!"

"How's your son Uzonu doing, Lieutenant Jee? I hope he's well."

Jee all but leaped away from him, his face ashen. "What the hell?! How do you know about my son?!"

“You told me about him, when we first met, when I was added to your battalion for training, just outside the capital.” Lu couldn't keep himself from smiling now. “You were so proud of him. Then of course my father started going on about my childhood. He made a point of telling you I used to have an imaginary pet lionturtle and I wanted to throttle him for embarrassing me like that when you were my new commanding officer.”

Jee was shaking his head slowly, blinking a lot as he scrutinized Lu Ten's face. “It's not... you can't be...”

Lu Ten slowly got to his feet, noting with shock that he was taller than Jee now. He willed his fire-sphere to hover over their heads, freeing his hands, allowing him to pull his unbound hair into a rough approximation of the topknot worn by Fire Nation royalty. He couldn't be rid of the beard, or the tan, but surely exposing his face would be enough- he'd always resembled his father.

Jee's eyes bugged as he stared, and then, without warning, he staggered, his hands shooting to the wall for support. Without that, Lu Ten was certain the man would have collapsed. His mouth opened and closed rapidly, unable to produce speech.

Lu Ten glanced to the side, thinking. What was he supposed to do now that Jee knew who he was? "Yeah... Uh... I'm alive," he said, then chuckled awkwardly to fill the silence.

"I- You- They- You-" the lieutenant stuttered. He turned to the wall, eyes still wide, looked at the metal, then turned back to the 'dead' prince. "WHAT?!" Jee took several deep breaths before he managed to stand up straight, but even then, his hands were trembling as he executed a shaky bow. “My Prince, I... I am... overwhelmed. I don't understand. All the reports claimed that you...”

“Died at Ba Sing Se, I know.” Lu Ten rolled his eyes. “It was one of the first pieces of news I heard when I woke from a coma in an Earth Kingdom village just over two years ago. I'm not sure how I got there, though. I remember a cave-in, during the siege, then I awoke in the care of an Earth Kingdom village healer. Men from the village were clearing the battlefield and found me, or so I was told. They had no idea who I was.”

“But... forgive me, that was two years ago. Why did you not return home?”

Lu Ten's face darkened. “I planned to, once my strength returned, but word of my grandfather's passing, and my uncle's ascension to the throne that is by right my father's, reached the village. I became... wary. All I knew was that Azulon had died, despite being in full health, Lady Ursa disappeared, no-one knew where my father was... since I could not be certain of my uncle's intentions, I deemed it best to stay hidden.”

“That... may have been for the best, my Prince. Firelord Ozai has proven... rather ruthless in his power.” There was something dark in Jee's eyes, and Lu wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to know what lay behind it. Jee started suddenly. “The village you referred to, that wasn't the place-”

“That you went to earlier today, yes.” Lu chuckled. “I followed you, and heard your... compliments towards my cousin.”

Jee's ears went scarlet. “I meant no disrespect to your family-”

Lu Ten waved it off. “I know. All teenagers can be irritating. But,” and now he had to ask, “Zuko's only thirteen years old. What can he possibly have done to deserve to be banished? And the injuries he has, half his _face_ bandaged like that...”

Jee looked him straight in the eyes. “I wish I knew. All the crew and I were told was that Prince Zuko had dishonored himself in Firelord Ozai's eyes and he was being exiled from the Fire Nation, this ship and its crew with him. The prince was carried aboard the vessel on a stretcher, and we set off that same day. General Iroh, your good father, was adamant he was accompanying us, for his nephew's sake, even though nothing prohibits his return home.”

Lu Ten's fists had clenched at some point during Jee's half-an-explanation, and smoke was curling from them. What could a thirteen year old child possibly have done to deserve exile from his home, and to be sent away while still gravely injured? With some effort, he calmed himself, and the smoke dissipated. Beneath his anger at this unfair situation, his heart ached for his little cousin, even as he felt a swell of gratitude for his kindly father, with his ocean-vast heart: at least he hadn't been irreparably harmed by Lu Ten's 'death', and he was still willing to be here with Zuko now.

“So... Zuko's banished for _good_? Just for... annoying Ozai?” Lu Ten was struggling to make sense of this.

Jee shook his head. “No. The Firelord's decree was that Zuko could return, and have his honor restored- if he brought back the Avatar as a captive. Until then, he must remain in exile.”

Lu Ten stared for a minute, waiting for the punchline. Because this _had_ to be a joke. Ozai wouldn't allow his own son to return home unless he captured the Avatar? The Avatar was _dead_. He had been for a century. Everyone knew that! When Jee's face remained deadly serious, Lu Ten's jaw dropped.

He'd always known there was something wrong, something... cold and different, in Uncle Ozai, although no-one in the family ever spoke about it, but for him to have set this impossible task for his only son...

“Uncle might as well have spelled out that he never wants to see Zuko again,” Lu nearly spat. “It would've been better than giving him false hope, making him chase a ghost for the rest of his life!” And to have sent Zuko off on this insane quest while he was so gravely injured... what was _wrong_ with Ozai?!

“Prince Zuko doesn't see it that way.” Jee's eyes were sad, but resigned. “We've already searched the Western Air Temple. He plans to scour all the Air Temples for clues, before heading to the Water Tribes if that proves necessary. He's adamant that the Avatar is alive and he will find him.”

“ _Prince Zuko_ is also not pleased that his crew are talking about him behind his back.” A low, rasping voice hissed from the far end of the corridor.

Jee and Lu Ten both whirled to see Zuko standing there. His face was drawn and pale, marked with creases from sleep, a dark circle ringed his one visible eye, and his posture was aggressive, his fists and jaw clenched as he glared at them.

Jee instinctively moved in front of Lu Ten, shielding him from Zuko's view, even though they hadn't gotten round to discussing what to do with regards to Lu Ten's showing himself to his family. Lu understood, Jee was letting him decide what to do.

“I'm sorry, your highness. We were merely... discussing our plans for the future. We did not mean any offence.” Jee bowed before Zuko, as if he feared making him angry, even though- so far- there was no sign of Zuko firebending.

Zuko merely sneered at Jee, before shoving straight past him as if he wasn't even there to stand directly in front of Lu Ten. “And who are you, to be prying into my business? I don't recall giving permission to add another peasant to my crew!”

 _He's acting like Ozai_ , Lu Ten realized with horror. The Zuko he remembered would never have been so rude to anyone! He'd been a sweet child, kind and eager to please. Lu knew that adolescence brought changes, and being exiled while injured probably hadn't helped, but _this_?

He stood tall, subtly gesturing at Jee to leave, pleased when the man did so. Zuko had grown a lot, but Lu noticed gladly that he was still several inches taller than his cousin. “I'm no peasant, I can assure you.” He spoke in the Fire tongue again. “And you used to have far better manners than that, little turtleduck.”

His old nickname for his cousin, given when Zuko had been a toddler, might snap Zuko out of his foul mood, if nothing else. If Zuko remembered, it might even help him piece together who Lu Ten was. Zuko staggered back away from him, as if he'd seen a ghost. Which, Lu thought wryly, in a way, he had.

Zuko pinched his own arm. Again, and again, and again. “I'd like to wake up now,” he muttered to himself, sounding far more like the child Lu Ten remembered, not the raging miniature Ozai who he'd been a minute ago.

Lu wrapped his hands around his cousin's, preventing him from hurting himself. “You're not dreaming, Zuko, I promise.” He squeezed Zuko's smaller, hot hands comfortingly. “See. I'm real.”

“But... you _died_. I don't understand.” Zuko's voice shook, and his one visible eye shone with tears.

“It's a long story. I'll explain everything to you, and Father, don't worry. For now, let's just say I heard what happened to you, and decided to see if you needed anything, little cousin.”

“Lu Ten.” Zuko's voice cracked, and he swallowed hard, his hands beginning to tremble with some suppressed emotion as he fought to regain control of himself.

Out of habit, Lu held out his arms, offering Zuko a hug, just like he had years ago when his cousin had been tiny and upset and afraid of Ozai's temper.

He wasn't fully prepared for Zuko's weight barrelling into him, but he managed to brace himself, holding his young cousin close as his frame shook with sobs, his face pressed into Lu's shoulder.

Lu Ten thought his heart might literally shatter, seeing Zuko in this state. _Oh, my turtleduck, what's happened to you since I've been gone?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case it's not clear, the reason Zuko is awake and wandering around at night (and thus able to eavesdrop on Jee and Lu Ten) is because he had a nightmare. That's also part of why he's willing to let his guard down and show his vulnerability and emotions to Lu Ten.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to the wonderful siambre, for helping me out with the difficult parts of this chapter. 😊

Lu Ten sighed to himself as he yawned and stretched, working out the kinks in his neck and back. He'd held his little cousin until he cried himself out last night, then, as it was late and Zuko looked exhausted, had shepherded him back to his room. By that point, Zuko had practically been sleepwalking, evidenced by his drowsy comments about it being a shame this was a dream, because he missed Lu Ten and wished he could stay.

Zuko had fallen into a deep sleep before Lu could work out how to convince him he was real. Asleep, he looked like the hurt, frightened child that he was, not the brash, rude boy who'd shouted cruelly at everyone. Lu had sat down, leaning against the cabin wall, watching Zuko, wanting to be there in case he woke from another nightmare- the dark ring that had surrounded his one visible eye suggested he hadn't been sleeping well.

Zuko had slept soundly however, and Lu must have dozed off as well, because the next thing he remembered was sensing the sun rise within his bones, waking him as it woke all firebenders.

He stood, but leaned back against the wall, a small smile playing about his mouth as he waited for Zuko to wake up, anticipating his cousin's reaction when he realized Lu Ten was still here, not a dream or a spirit, but real.

However, a few minutes passed and Zuko didn't stir. Lu Ten frowned. All firebenders felt the pull of the sunrise: why wasn't Zuko awake? Peering at the boy, he saw that the relaxed expression from last night had vanished from his face, replaced by taut frown lines. Zuko was... tense, as if he was bracing against something.

The sun rose higher, and Lu's heart-rate increased with it, his mind sharpening.

Zuko's hands twitched, then curled into fists, and he curled in on himself, as if... As if he were trying to fight or reject the sun's pull.

Lu stepped closer, wondering if it was best to wake him, or not: he'd never known a firebender, child or not, to _try_ to ignore the sunrise. If that's what Zuko was doing. Stooping so his shadow fell over Zuko, he placed his hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently.

“Zuko?” He spoke in a whisper.

His cousin rolled over, mumbling something. The movement made Lu's hand shift, so it brushed against the unbandaged half of Zuko's face.

Zuko's eye shot open, and he practically leaped onto the ceiling in his haste to get away, scrambling backwards, hyperventilating, the fear coming from him almost a tangible thing.

“No! Father, please!” Zuko's gaze shot round the room, freezing when he saw Lu Ten.

Lu could practically _see_ the moment that memories of last night came back to Zuko, because he visibly calmed down, although his pale skin was now damp with perspiration, and he was still breathing heavily.

 _'No! Father, please!'_ Zuko's terrified begging echoed in Lu's mind, but he managed- just- to keep his face blank, hiding his growing unease and anger. What the hell had his uncle done to Zuko, to leave such fear in him?! He put aside thoughts of Ozai (and possibly of _murdering_ Ozai) to be dealt with later, opting instead to smile kindly at Zuko as if nothing was amiss.

“Good morning, cousin.”

Zuko blinked a few times, then rubbed his eyes, wincing when he inadvertently shifted his bandages. “Lu Ten- what- but- I-I was just dreaming... wasn't I?”

Lu shook his head. “No. I'm still here. And unless you tell me to get lost, you're stuck with me now, little turtleduck.”

“But... I don't understand... how...”

“Like I said last night, it's a long story, and...” Lu sighed. “And I'm sorry, but I think Father needs to be the first to hear it. Assuming the sight of me doesn't give him a heart attack, I mean.”

Zuko unfolded himself from his bed, nodding, his face once again the unchildlike mask he'd shown yesterday, although his eye shone with an inner light that hadn't been there before, as if a weight had been lifted. As if he had finally found some cause for hope. “Of course. I assume he hasn't been told yet. Should I send for him, or would you prefer to find him yourself?”

Lu arched a brow at 'send for him'- since when did Zuko get to give Father orders?- but he didn't get a chance to comment, because a knock sounded at the door.

“Nephew? Are you awake? You'll be late for morning tea and meditation if you don't hurry along!”

 _Oh!_ Lu Ten's heart constricted and tears pricked at his eyes at hearing that beloved voice again. And, of course, with his father, every single activity had to be improved by partaking in tea of some description. Some things never changed...

Zuko shot Lu Ten a questioning look, nodding towards the door. Lu took a deep breath and nodded. Better to get this over with now, before Jee let something slip to the rest of the crew.

“Uh, Uncle, can you come inside a minute? There's something... not wrong, just something I need to tell you.”

"Ah..." Lu heard his father hum in understanding. His muffled chuckle reached the cousins standing in the room. "No need to be ashamed, my nephew. You are at the start of your adolescence. It's quite normal, expected even, for a young man your age to have... dreams that feature beautiful women."

Zuko frowned at Lu Ten, mouthing 'what?' while Lu stifled laughter. He'd had a similar talk with Father when he'd been about thirteen, and had been mortified at the time. Zuko, most likely because it hadn't happened to him yet, was just puzzled.

Zuko narrowed his eye at Lu before turning to face the door. “Uncle, I don't know what you're babbling on about, just please do as I ask and come in here!”

“Spirits, Zuko, did you just say 'please'? Alright, I'm intrigued.” The door opened and Father stepped in, silhouetted by the brighter lights in the ship's hallway. Naturally, he was carrying a tray of tea. “What's going on-”

Shards of porcelain and splatters of hot tea went everywhere as the tray hit the ground, having fallen from Father's suddenly shaking hands as he saw Lu Ten standing besides Zuko. The old man swayed, a hand pressed to his heart, clutching at his chest. Lu and Zuko darted forward at the same time, both steadying him.

Father barely seemed to notice Zuko's murmuring something about giving them time to talk as he slipped from the room, his tear-filled eyes were firmly locked on Lu Ten, and he clutched him tightly, as if he feared he might vanish.

“Lu Ten? My boy?” Iroh spoke as if he really couldn't believe it- or didn't dare to.

Lu's heart shattered into a million pieces. He had never in his life heard his father sound so broken, so _scared_. To think that he'd caused this... Why had he stayed hidden, again, letting Father believe him dead? Fine, Ozai might've been a threat, but all Lu had to do was _write_ to Father, privately. Why hadn't he done that? Why had he been so selfish, hurting the person he loved most in the world, for nothing?

“Hello, Father.” He could have kicked himself seconds later. That was the best he could come up with? What about 'Sorry' or 'Forgive me'?

Tears were pouring unchecked down Father's face, and he was trembling, so Lu guided them both to take a seat on Zuko's bed so they could relax as much as possible during this conversation.

His father reached out, the look in his eyes now one of wonder, as he wiped a tear from Lu's own face. Until then, Lu hadn't even realized that he too was crying.

“My boy... you're alive? But how?”

Lu swallowed the lump in his throat. He'd missed Father so much that even hearing his _voice_ made him want to sob. “I'll tell you everything, Father, I promise. Every last little detail. But for now, I just want to hug you.”

Iroh needed no further convincing, and father and son fell into each other's embrace, clinging to each other and weeping their joy, both inwardly vowing to never let go again.

For Lu Ten, this was like coming home at last: his father's arms around him, the familiar scent of jasmine tea and smoke that had always meant 'father', for as long as he could remember... He decided then and there that it didn't matter if they never returned to the Fire Nation. His father was here, one of his cousins was here, they had each other, he and Father could work to help Zuko deal with his exile (and his ill temper)... what more could they ever need?

(Thoughts of his other cousin, Azula, nagged at his mind, but he resolved to find out where she was later- he wouldn't forget about her, but Father surely wouldn't have left her in danger, and Zuko needed him more right now.)


	5. Chapter 5

“We could say you're just a stowaway that I found and I decided to keep you on board because you're another pair of hands to help?” Zuko suggested weakly.

It was evening now, and Lu Ten had been sequestered in his cousin's room all day, so the crew wouldn't become aware of his presence until he, Father and Zuko had decided what to tell them. However, most of the day had been taken up with catching up with one another, Lu telling them what had happened after Ba Sing Se, and receiving, in return, carefully worded half-truths about what had gone on at home in the palace. Zuko, at least, wasn't telling him half the truth: Lu could always tell when his cousin was lying, even when Father missed it. After Zuko had had their evening meal delivered here, with Jee thankfully keeping the crew at bay, the subject had rolled around to whether or not the crew should know who Lu Ten was: Father thought not, hence Zuko's suggestion about a false story to explain how Lu got on the ship.

“No, no, Nephew, that won't work,” Father stroked his beard. “It isn't like you to trust a stranger that way immediately. Too many questions would be asked.”

“Well, what if we just told them that Jee recruited Lu- er, I guess we could call you 'Pao' when the crew's around- from that Earth Kingdom village? It's almost true, after all.” Zuko looked at Father, for agreement, Lu Ten assumed, but he was puzzled.

“I still don't see why we can't just tell them the truth. Surely your _own crew_ can be trusted?”

Zuko scowled, looking away. “I doubt it.”

“But-”

Father gave him a pensive look, a hint of warning in his eyes. “The sailors and soldiers who travel with us, Lu Ten, are those who are... out of favor in the capital at present. Lieutenant Jee can be trusted, but I would not wager on any of the others to keep such a valuable secret if revealing it might mean they could return home. Not yet, not when we haven't yet journeyed together for a month.”

Further conversation was halted by a gentle rap on the door, followed by a loud throat-clearing. Jee. “I'm sorry to interrupt, Prince Zuko, General Iroh, but... neither of you have been seen all day. The crew is... concerned. I've kept them from disturbing you themselves, but...”

“Nephew, why don't you go and take some air? You've been cooped up for hours.” Father smiled encouragingly at Zuko, but Lu cut across him.

“Actually, Father, I find myself craving some of your Ginseng tea. I've missed it, and since I don't trust this one,” here he jostled Zuko playfully, blinking when his cousin flinched away from him, his whole body going rigid, but recovering quickly, “Not to scald the leaves, perhaps you could go and brew a pot for us? That way, at least the crew will have seen one of you.” _And I will get a chance to speak to Zuko alone, find out what he- and you- are hiding from me_.

Father needed no further convincing to go and brew his favorite flavor of tea, and he was gone in less than a minute. Lu stood up from the narrow bed, stretched, and turned to look at a still-seated Zuko. He couldn't help but notice that Zuko had edged away, putting physical distance between himself and Lu, his whole posture radiating wariness.

“You wanted to speak to me alone, without Uncle here.” Zuko's voice was flat, emotionless, but his shoulders were tense, like he was bracing for something. “I'm sorry if I angered you somehow.”

Lu blinked repeatedly, baffled by his cousin's change in mood. So far, although Zuko hadn't seemed exactly _happy_ , he'd been relaxed enough- he had spent the whole day alone with him and Father! “Why would I be angry with you?”

Zuko shrugged, not looking up. “Uncle wanted more time with you, but you made an excuse to be left alone with me. I just thought you needed to punish me for something I said or did.”

The utterly accepting way that Zuko stated this, like it was a perfectly logical and obvious conclusion, made Lu Ten's blood run cold. He gaped for a second, gathering his thoughts, before mentally shaking himself and sitting down again next to his young cousin.

“Zuko, look at me.”

Slowly, hesitantly, he did so.

“Have I ever, in your life, done anything to hurt you?” Besides leaving for war and being thought dead, but that was beside the point right now.

“...No.”

“So why would you ever think I would?”

Another shrug followed. “Excuses to get rid of a witness used to mean that I had earned a punishment from F- uh, that no-one should see. I figured you'd be the same.”

Lu Ten had heard the aborted word, though, and his blood went from icy to boiling. It took a minute for him to unclench his jaw so he could speak, and his words came out angrier than he'd intended. “Your father?” He already knew he was right, but wanted Zuko to confirm it.

The younger prince's eyes widened and he began breathing more rapidly. "No. Father's good to me. Don't blame him." He shook his head. “He tried to teach me things I should have known, and if I'd been better, I wouldn't have been banished.” Almost reflexively, Zuko's hand went to the bandage that still obscured half his face, and Lu followed the movement with his eyes. A horrible, sinking suspicion began to curdle in his stomach, and his mouth went dry.

“Zuko... how did you get that injury?” This time, he barely spoke above a whisper, far from certain he even wanted to hear this. He knew that Ozai had never shown much fondness for Zuko, but to have Zuko admit to Uncle having harmed him, and then defend his cruelty in the same breath... it was sickening.

“I lost in an Agni Kai.” Zuko's voice was flat, again, emotionless. “I was too much a coward to fight, and was branded for my failure, and stripped of my honor. Only when I capture the Avatar for my fath- for the Firelord will my honor be restored.”

Lu Ten was so horrified by this he nearly fell off the bed. He stared at Zuko in disbelief, certain he had misheard that. “An Agni Kai?! Zuko you're _thirteen_. It's not even legal for someone to be challenged until they're sixteen!” And even that was viewed too young by almost everyone. Eighteen was a more typical age for such things to be considered acceptable.

“The Firelord can do as he wishes, amend laws as he sees fit. He knows what's best for the Fire Nation.” Zuko recited this so flawlessly, it had to be something he'd been trained to say. Once again, he was fidgeting with the bandages on his face.

Lu peered at it in concern, (and because focusing on something else would give him time to calm down). “Does.. the injury hurt?” Not that he had any idea what the injury _was_ : a shattered bone in the face from the absurd Agni Kai Zuko had been forced to partake in? Damage to his eye?

“It itches.” Zuko muttered sullenly. “The healers said I could take the bandage off now if I wanted, as long as I don't scratch. Air's supposed to be good for it, but...” He trailed off, scowling.

“But?” Lu prompted gently.

“I haven't looked in a mirror since I woke up, not without the bandages. I don't want to look.” His voice wobbled, reminding Lu again of just how young Zuko really was.

Lu slipped an arm around Zuko's shoulders, giving him a comforting squeeze. “Why don't we look together? I-” I promise it won't be that bad, he'd been about to say, but thought better of it. It would be foolish to say that when, so far, neither Zuko or Father had explained what manner of injury lay _under_ those bandages. “I'll be here with you.”

Zuko sucked in several deep breaths, then stood up abruptly, as if he'd been steeling himself to do this. In quick, sharp movements, he undid the knots keeping the bandages in place, while striding over to the shelf that served as a dresser and staring into the small silver mirror.

Lu stood right at his cousin's side as Zuko removed the last layer of white fabric, exposing his entire face to the air.

It took all of his self-control to keep from recoiling or crying out in shock.

 _'What the hell?!'_ Lu's mind reeled. He'd been expecting a distorted shape or deep bruising from bone damage, not... _this_.

Around a third of Zuko's face, starting at his hairline, surrounding his left eye (which was now pulled into a narrow squint) and covering his ear, was nothing but thick, red scar tissue, standing out like a bloodstain against his pale skin.

Zuko stared wordlessly at his own reflection, his eyes unreadable. It took Lu Ten a few seconds to recover his voice, especially as he realized two things: one, that kind of scarring was caused by a deep, prolonged burn. And two, the burn scar marring his little, his _baby_ cousin's face was very clearly in the shape of an adult's handprint.

“Can.. can you still see and hear? On the left, I mean.” Looking at that scar, Lu thought it was a miracle that Zuko still had that eye, but chose not to mention that, for obvious reasons.

“A little. I mean, I can see, but it's blurred. And my hearing on that side is weaker than the right.” Zuko still hadn't taken his eyes from his reflection.

Maybe he was just trying to get used to it, Lu thought grimly. He knew the feeling! “Zuko, whoever did that to you, whoever you faced in that Agni Kai- you know you didn't deserve _this_ , don't you? No-one should have done that to a child.”

Zuko blinked. “I told you, Father was only trying to teach me a lesson. I showed weakness when I apologized and refused to fight, so he corrected me.”

That did it. Lu Ten gagged, whirling away from Zuko and grabbing an empty vase, he emptied the contents of his stomach into it.

 _Uncle Ozai_ had done this? Held a flaming hand to his _thirteen year old son's face_ , kept it there until Zuko was maimed for life, all because he refused to fight in a duel he shouldn't have been forced into to begin with?!

The door was flung open at that moment. “Good news! Jee has agreed to go along with Zuko's plan, and claim he recruited 'Pao' from the Earth Kingdom. _And_ I found some jasmine tea, as well as ginseng. We even have some fruit tarts!” Father backed into the room, a tray of tea and pastries in his hands. He set the tray down on Zuko's bed, and only then turned around, in a second taking in Zuko's scarred face, the bandages forgotten on the ground, Lu Ten bent over and clutching the vase, and the sour smell of vomit rising from it.

Lu heard Father speaking softly to Zuko, but his head was spinning too much to make out the words. He did hear Zuko mutter 'sorry' and shook his head, waving his hand, trying to communicate that it wasn't anything _Zuko_ had done to make him ill.

No, the blame for that went to the monster that Zuko had the misfortune of being fathered by.

Father all but hauled Lu out of Zuko's room and along the corridor, guiding him in to what had to be his room, judging by the strong odor of tea, and the Pai Sho board set up in the corner.

Lu felt too shaky to protest as Father made him sit down, closed the door behind them, disposed of his mess and forced him to drink some water. Once he felt steadier, he glowered up at his father.

“And at what point exactly did Uncle Ozai lose his damned mind?!”

Father sighed heavily. “Zuko told you.”

“About being forced to fight in some farce of an Agni Kai, and his own father mutilating him, yes! This after _years_ of Agni only knows what kind of warped 'punishments' being dished out because Zuko dares to have the misfortune of just being a child, and not a carbon copy of that _snake!_ ” Lu lurched to his feet and slammed his (sparking) fist into the wall with all the force he could muster. “And Zuko totally rationalizes all this as if it's perfectly normal and not the vilest, cruellest thing I've ever heard in my life!” He shook his head violently. “To hell with this. I'm going back to Caldera, to teach 'Fire Lord Ozai' a lesson of his own!”

Father caught at his arm as he went to barge past him.

“You will do _nothing of the sort_.” Father's voice was colder and harder than Lu had ever heard before, and it made him pause.

“Why not?!”

“Lu Ten, you've been continuing the pretence of your death for the past two years, because _you_ told me you wouldn't feel safe going near Ozai since he seized power. Unless that has changed in the last ten minutes, then you're letting your anger blind you to potential danger!”

Lu was lost for words for a second. His father used that time to stride forward, getting between Lu and the door. “My boy, I only just got you back. Now you want me to let you throw yourself into a sabertooth-moose-lion's den?”

“But... we can't let Ozai get _away_ with this...” Except, he realized, they didn't have much choice. An exiled prince, a 'failure' of a General, and a back-from-the-dead prince, none of whom had any real resources, would be no match for the guards in the capital, and the Firelord himself. They wouldn't even get near Ozai in these circumstances. His shoulders slumped, and Father must have read acquiescence in his posture, because he let out a deep sigh.

“I'm afraid this will be a long game, Lu Ten. Please understand, I no longer trust Ozai, and I certainly bear no love for him after what he did to Zuko, but... he is dangerous. More than you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“This stays between you and I. Not even Zuko hears of it.” Father's steely gaze bore into Lu's own until he nodded, his stomach dropping. How much worse could this _get_?

“After your... disappearance, I spent some time away, grieving. When I returned to the palace, your grandfather had just died. Mysteriously, in the night, the day after he'd had some quarrel with Ozai, and yet, in the wake of that, inexplicably, my father apparently named Ozai heir in my place, mere hours before his passing. The Fire Sages verified it, so I had no recourse, but...” Father shook his head. “Ursa vanished from the palace on the same night Azulon died. No-one's seen anything of her since, and her name isn't spoken.”

Lu felt a shudder run through him at the implications. “You don't think Ozai...” He'd suspected something like this, back when he'd first learned of Ozai becoming Firelord, but to have it all but confirmed...

“I don't know. Whether she knew something, or if Ozai just wanted her gone... I never saw any reason to kick the hornet's nest by asking too many questions. Not while I had Zuko to try and care for.”

“And Azula.” Lu added, his tone sharp. Yes, Zuko had clearly been through hell, living under Ozai's thumb, but his younger sister rarely seemed to cross Father's mind.

“Yes, although... Ozai doted upon her, gave her everything she wanted. I admit I focused on Zuko more because he was bullied, ostracized and neglected by Ozai. He _needed_ someone to care for him. Azula seemed happy enough with her father's attention, although I hesitate to call it love.”

“But, after what Ozai did to Zuko, when you left with him... what if his anger turns on Azula now?” Lu couldn't shake the thought. Zuko was safely out of Ozai's reach, thank the spirits, but Azula wasn't, and she was only eleven...

“Lu, I tried to bring Azula with us, but she refused to depart her home. If she had wanted to stay with her brother, I might have been able to persuade Ozai, but she would have none of it. She... isn't the child you remember, Lu.”

Lu Ten stared at the floor, his eyes burning, remembering a tiny little girl who'd squealed with glee when he'd made sparks shoot out of his hands for her, who'd made little blue sparks of her own seconds later: ' _Ook, Looten, Zula make pwetty too!'_ That same child had giggled uncontrollably when Lu had arranged a 'mission' for her and Zuko to steal sweets from the palace kitchens, she'd always pled 'Again!' when he swung her around, pretending she was flying...

How could he accept his father's words and just _leave_ her in Ozai's hands?

It was as if Father read his mind. “The _long game_ , Lu Ten. It breaks my heart as much as it does yours to leave Azula with Ozai, but, right now, your other cousin has to be our priority. We _can't_ help Azula at present, but it is within our power to help Zuko, and he needs us.”

Lu swallowed hard and nodded. He knew his father was right, as hard as it was. There was a time and place to settle scores, and right now, this wasn't it. The tiles weren't in the correct places on the board, to use one of Father's Pai Sho metaphors.

For now, his place- and Father's- was to help Zuko search for the (non-existent) Avatar, and guide him until he matured enough to understand the truth and see clearly what kind of a monster Ozai really was.

But when the time came, Lu Ten vowed, be it months or years from now, he would make _sure_ Ozai paid for all the crimes he'd committed. No matter how long it took, there _would_ be a reckoning for his accursed uncle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The law about Agni Kai duels being illegal for minors is just something I made up, but IMO an age limit on something like that makes sense. Naturally, Ozai just ignores it and does whatever he wants.
> 
> 2\. It always bugged me that Iroh poured so much effort into saving Zuko, while seemingly just writing Azula off without a second thought. In this chapter, when Lu Ten challenges Iroh about it, I try to explain his reasoning, but again, it's all my headcanon for the situation.


	6. Chapter 6

Lu Ten frowned at the Pai Sho board, fighting the urge to sigh at the smug look on his father's face. He'd thought he set up a winning strategy this time, but once again, Father had foiled him. Lu shook his head and sat back. “I give up. You win. Again.”

Father shook his head at him. “No, no, there is still a chance for you to best me. Look at the board again.”

Lu grimaced, staring at the tiles as if they'd provide the answer. Three years travelling the world while Zuko scoured every corner of it for the Avatar, with no success, and Lu _still_ had yet to learn all his father's strategies at Pai Sho. Buying himself time to think, he glanced across the deck at his cousin, trying not to sigh at the sight of Zuko, sullen as usual, clad in full armor, his narrowed eyes fixed on the horizon.

Despite Lu and his father's best efforts, Zuko had never really spoken about his life with his father, not since the day he'd first seen his scarred reflection. Instead, he'd become more and more invested, almost obsessed, with tracking the Avatar. When he wasn't driving himself (and everyone else) to distraction over that, he spent most of his time working on his firebending.

Three years ago, when Lu had first reunited with his father and Zuko, he hadn't known it at the time, but back then, Zuko, most likely due to trauma at his injury, hadn't been able to bring himself to firebend at all. Fire itself seemed to scare him, and it had taken many months before he even found the strength to overcome his fear of flames enough to light a single candle. After that, he had had to start again with the simplest katas of firebending, relearning the basics like a child. Zuko had clearly hated it, seeing it as something to be ashamed of. To comfort his cousin, Lu Ten had asked to be included in that training, using the fact that he'd gone two whole years in the village without bending at all, as a reason to practice with Zuko. In all honesty, he was glad of it, because it had refined his own firebending, but, over a year after they'd begun relearning the basic firebending stances, Zuko was still working at them.

Zuko himself, Lu Ten knew, wanted to advance to more difficult sets, but Father, who served as teacher to them both, denied him that. Lu could see why. The longer this journey dragged on, with no trace of the Avatar, the angrier and more frustrated Zuko became, keeping walls around himself, pushing away every attempt to help him. Lu hadn't given up, of course: he was always kind and calm around his cousin, just like Father was. Although sometimes Lu wondered where Father found his patience, because there had been several occasions where Lu could happily have _slapped_ some sense into Zuko, when the teenager went into a rant about 'honor', vented his own turbulent emotions by bellowing orders at the crew, or when he sank into despair about never 'pleasing his father'. He'd never have actually _done_ that, of course, Zuko had suffered enough. But _spirits_ , the idea was tempting at times. Father, when he and Lu spoke privately, only ever said that Zuko had to find his own path to healing, as difficult as it was for his family to watch.

“It's still your turn, Lu, er, I mean, Pao.” Father's voice broke Lu out of his thoughts, and, without really thinking, his mind still on the past few years, he moved one of his tiles to another position. Father was probably going to win the game anyway, no matter what he did.

“Interesting...” Father stroked his beard, scrutinizing the board.

Something flashed in the corner of Lu's eye, and he and Father turned to look. A strange column of blue-green light sprung from somewhere, reaching almost to the sky, and Zuko spoke at last.

“Finally...” He turned towards the table where Lu and Father sat. “Uncle, L- Pao, do you realize what this means?”

Lu grimaced. Three years on this ship, going by the false name Pao when any of the crew were around to divert suspicion over his identity, and _still_ his father and cousin slipped up! How the crew hadn't worked it out yet, he had no idea. To them, he was just Pao, an Earth-kingdom colony born firebender, who'd become a close friend of Zuko's, and thus was tolerated aboard the ship with few questions asked. Lu, in truth, hated lying, but it was easier to keep the lie going than to reveal it now, after so long.

Father picked up one of the tiles. “That we won't get to finish our game?”

Lu silently thanked Agni for that: it was humiliating to lose so often. But Zuko's mind was clearly elsewhere. He had that intense gleam in his eyes again, the one that always appeared when he thought he had a lead on the Avatar's location. Lu caught Father's eye and half shook his head. _Here we go again_.

“It means my search is about to come to an end!”

Yeah, there it was. Lu pressed a hand to his forehead, massaging away the headache that was _already_ starting to form, as Zuko gestured wildly at the beacon, or whatever it was.

Zuko ignored his reaction too. “That light came from an incredibly powerful source. It _has_ to be him.” The light dimmed, then vanished.

“Or, it's just the celestial lights.” Father suggested, in the calm tone of voice he'd adopted when dealing with Zuko's moods, a tone Lu could never quite imitate.

“Father's right, Zuko.” Lu spoke gently. “We've been down this road before, cousin: you becoming convinced you've found something, then tormenting yourself for weeks when nothing comes of it.”

“Please, sit. Why don't you join us and enjoy a cup of calming jasmine tea?” Father gestured to the other chair at the table. Lu waited for the inevitable explosion of anger from his cousin.

“I don't need any calming tea! I need to capture the Avatar! Helmsman, head a course for the light!”

The helmsman did as Zuko had demanded, albeit with a scowl on his face, and Lu knew he'd have to go and speak to the man later. It had become part of the routine, to smooth the crew's ruffled feathers every time Zuko threw his weight around or lost his temper. In this situation, a mutiny was the last thing they needed. Lu didn't know why his cousin couldn't understand that on a ship this size, it was _important_ for everyone to get along.

Father made another move on the Pai Sho board, but Lu didn't even get a chance to look at what he'd done, because an icy wind whipped across the deck, scattering the pieces everywhere.

Lu frowned at the sea surrounding them. It was calm and smooth. Where had that gust come from, so suddenly?

* * *

Two days later, there had been no more mysterious lights, or anything out of the ordinary at all, but Zuko insisted on following this course until _something_ was found. No-one had argued: it wasn't as if they had any other pressing business, after all. However, to keep Zuko from pacing endlessly all day, or from antagonizing the crew by snapping at them, Lu had suggested, that morning, that he and his cousin work on firebending drills to 'hone their skill'. Thus, Father had them work through basic combat katas, with the few firebenders among the crew serving as their opponents.

Lu had just finished another mock-spar with his 'opponent', who was actually the ship's cook, and mopped sweat from his brow, watching Zuko take on two ex-soldiers at once. Because of course, one opponent was too 'boring' or something.

It took Zuko only a few minutes to best them, but Lu, watching him, could see that, once again, his cousin was relying on anger and adrenaline to fuel his bending, not drawing strength from his breathing and inner focus as he should.

“No!” That was Father's 'teacher' voice. Lu rolled his eyes as he saw his father stand up and approach Zuko, well aware that Father was about to start lecturing his cousin on the errors he'd made, and that Zuko wouldn't listen- he rarely did anymore.

“Power in firebending comes from the breath,” Father began, raising his hands in front of him to demonstrate the movement, “Not the muscles.” He stretched his left arm out as if he was completing the movement- in a real battle, he would have just thrown a ball of fire at someone. “The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes: fire!”

Lu rolled his eyes, well aware, from Zuko's scowl, that Father's words were going in one ear and out the other. It seemed Father had noticed as well, because the next thing he did was direct a fire blast straight at Zuko, so fast that even Lu tensed. The flames evaporated just before it would scorch him though.

“Get it right this time.” Father instructed Zuko firmly.

Sometimes, Lu reflected, watching Zuko lose his temper was like watching a fuse on a bomb: you could literally count the seconds until the explosion...

“Enough! I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set! I'm _more_ than ready!”

Privately, Lu thought Zuko was ready to be sent to his room and confined there until he apologized and stopped acting like a spoiled child, but he tried to stay out of disputes between his cousin and father (mostly because he would end up mediating between them later, when they were both too stubborn to speak to one another.)

“No, you are impatient.” Father sat down again, folding his arms. “You have yet to master your basics." He reverted to the 'commander's voice' as Lu dubbed it. “Drill it again!”

Zuko's face had darkened. Lu hastily bowed to his own opponent, receiving a bow in return, and was halfway towards his cousin, intending to diffuse this, but before he got there, Zuko had whirled round, and, using a flying kick, sent a spurt of flames at one of the soldiers, knocking the man flat on his back.

Lu made sure to give Zuko the most disapproving glare he could muster as he raced to help the man up, ensuring he wasn't injured. _You'd think Zuko of all people would know better than to use fire in combat like that against an ally_. He heard Zuko stomp across the deck, presumably towards Father.

“The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last airbender. He must be over a hundred years old by now. He's had a century to master the four elements! I'll need more than basic firebending to defeat him.” Zuko's voice rose, and Lu tensed further, though he kept his back turned, letting Father sort this out.

“You _will_ teach me the advanced set!”

 _Stop doing your best to sound just like your damned father!_ Lu wanted to snap. He hated it when Zuko seemed to be channelling Ozai, for the last thing his cousin needed was to become like him.

“Very well.” Father's voice was resigned, and Lu turned around in shock. His father had agreed to this, despite Zuko speaking to him in that tone, and when he clearly wasn't ready, mentally, for more advanced firebending?

Lu's lips twitched at Father's exaggerated look of happiness when he saw a plate that had somehow ended up on the floor and seized it. “But first, I must finish my roast duck.” He tucked in eagerly.

Seeing the look of disbelief on Zuko's face, Lu just burst out laughing. Three years, and Zuko the Oblivious still hadn't worked out that Father acted foolishly sometimes just to try and get a smile out of him?

Zuko just shook his head and stomped away from both of them. “I'm going to meditate, away from your nonsense.” He growled.

Meditate, right. Sulk sounded more accurate. Lu shook his head fondly at his cousin as he left.

“It's like trying to befriend a prickle-snake sometimes, dealing with him.”

Father finished his mouthful and chuckled. “Believe me, he isn't that different to another teenager I once knew.” He gave Lu a pointed look, and Lu went red.

“What? I was never that... difficult, was I?”

Father's reply was 'Hmm' and a simple wink as he walked away. Lu pursued him, frowning. “What? Father, when was I _ever_ as ill-tempered as that? I don't remember being that annoying when I was sixteen!” He chased his now-laughing father below deck, determined to find out what he was referring to. He'd never been that bad, surely?

* * *

“Yet another day of sailing towards where you _thought_ that light came from, cousin.” Lu stifled a yawn, then shivered: it was getting colder by the minute! “You do realize that if we travel much further, we'll reach the South Pole? I doubt the Tribes there will welcome us.”

“Hm. Especially not if they're hiding the Avatar.” Zuko was peering through a telescope, scanning the horizon.

Lu groaned. Would Zuko never quit it? Yesterday, he himself had admitted the Avatar must be over a century old, yet he kept forgetting or ignoring the small detail that _most people didn't live more than ninety years_. Was it worth, yet again, trying to convince him that the Avatar was almost certainly dead? Lu decided against it: he didn't want to provoke Zuko into a deafening rage when it was still early morning: Father hadn't even left his room yet. _He probably woke at sunrise and went straight back to sleep_ , Lu thought fondly. His father wasn't exactly young now, after all.

Zuko's eyes were still glued to the telescope. Reluctantly, Lu stepped up beside him. _If you can't beat them, join them_. “Anything interesting out there?”

“No, just a decommissioned old Navy ship.” Zuko gestured towards it, an old hulk of iron, left to sit in the ice.

Lu squinted. “Looks like it was abandoned-”

A flare went off from the ship, bright enough to sear both of their gazes, making them turn away.

Lu was still blinking back spots from his vision and wondering what could've set off a flare on that old rust bucket, while Zuko had already returned to gazing at the ship through the telescope.

“The last airbender!”

Lu shook his head, feeling nothing but pity for his cousin now. He'd _have_ to talk to Father again about breaking this delusion of Zuko's about actually finding the Avatar: it was getting ridiculous. Nonetheless, Lu strained his eyes, trying to see what had caught Zuko's attention this time. It was probably tiger seals or something equally innocent, of course. Squinting, he could just make out two... blurs... one orange-yellow, one blue, on the old Navy ship.

It _looked_ as if the orange shape (a person?) was carrying the blue one, descending in fits and starts down the side of the vessel towards the ground. It could have been birds, but Lu Ten didn't know of any birds of that colour. He snatched the telescope from Zuko to get a better look, and stifled a gasp. The 'blurs' were two people: someone in orange robes with a bald head, and another dressed in Water Tribe blues. That was all he saw, on account of Zuko wresting the telescope back from him, but he was shaken. He'd heard of orange-robed monks- it had once been the traditional garb of the Air Nomads- but _surely_ it couldn't be...

The two figures, reduced to blurs in Lu's eyes without the telescope, reached the snowy ground and became smaller- walking away from the ship.

Zuko was still glowering at them. “Quite agile for his old age.” He gave Lu a look, excitement plain to see on his face, but that expression fell when Lu only frowned, still watching the vanishing figures, his mind whirling, barely registering his young cousin's glee.

“Wake my uncle! Tell him I found the Avatar.”

Lu didn't bother to reprimand Zuko for yelling at a crew member again. Whoever or whatever they'd just seen, Father did need to be told. If, as unlikely as it seemed, the orange-robed person _was_ an Air Nomad, then their situation had just changed, for good. The 'futile' quest might not be as pointless as everyone (except Zuko) assumed. There was no way they'd found the actual Avatar, of course, but a surviving Air Nomad, the possibility that their genocide hadn't been absolute after all... Lu Ten's heart pounded at the thought. If even one had survived, he or she absolutely had to be kept hidden from the Fire Nation. To Lu Ten, and Iroh, a surviving Nomad would be a miracle to be cherished. To most of the Fire Nation, it would be a mistake to be eradicated. Spirits only knew how they could convince Zuko to let this person go, however...

Zuko looked through the telescope again. Lu, not wanting to miss anything, began a wrestling match over it. He won, and got another brief glimpse of the two figures running away, towards... a village, probably one of those built by the Southern Water Tribe, before Zuko yanked the telescope back, his gaze now locked on the distant village.

“As well as his hiding place ...” There was an ominous note in Zuko's voice that sent a shiver down Lu Ten's spine, though he hid it. Both cousins kept staring towards the tiny, primitive village as the ship slowly moved towards it. Lu had a horrible feeling that they had very different plans in mind for how to handle this situation, and he dreaded what his cousin might do to the innocent people here.

He turned his gaze towards the sun, closing his eyes. _Agni, please, whatever this is, give Father and I the strength to contain my cousin's aggression. Give Zuko the wisdom to understand compassion. Let no-one get hurt._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, an awful lot of this chapter is lifted directly from Zuko and Iroh's appearances in the first episode of the show, adapted to accommodate Lu Ten's presence. I hope it makes sense and is enjoyable anyway.
> 
> All the events and dialogue from 'The Boy in the Iceberg' were found on this site: https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Avatar_Wiki:Transcripts
> 
> Any deviation from canon is entirely my own doing.


	7. Chapter 7

Lu stood inside his cabin, huddled against the growing cold, a small sphere of flame between his hands. It did little to warm him though. How in Agni's name did the Water Tribes _live_ in these temperatures? He knew that Zuko was insisting on being on deck, because he wanted to be the one to lead the search of the village, still adamant that the possible Airbender he and Lu had seen earlier was the Avatar.

Lu doubted that, if he was honest, but Father had simply replied with 'Hmm' when he'd heard what they'd seen, and not offered an opinion.

It would be bitterly ironic, Lu reflected, his lips twisting in a smirk, if the airbender they'd seen truly was the Avatar: Ozai had banished Zuko with what was thought to be an impossible quest: capture the long-banished Avatar. Leave it to his infuriatingly stubborn cousin to actually _do_ the impossible and find him!

The entire ship rumbled with some impact: they must have reached a place to dock. Lu quickly donned his helmet and went to find Zuko: he and Jee would accompany him into the Water Tribe village, as naturally his hotheaded cousin wanted to be the one to confront the villagers and demand they hand over the airbender.

 _One thing that never becomes dull_ , he reflected as he crossed the deck, trying not to wince at the almost unbearable chill, _is the chance to see so many different parts of the world._

However, upon finding Zuko, already waiting to walk down the gangplank when it lowered, Jee already beside him, Lu frowned at the view outside the window. Instead of mooring the ship as he'd thought, for some reason, they were plowing _into_ the icy ground ahead, creating a huge fissure and sending the people of the Southern Water Tribe running and screaming.

“Would it really have been so difficult to moor the ship and just _walk_ to the village, instead of destroying part of it?” Lu murmured in Zuko's ear as the bow opened, providing them with a ramp to walk down.

Zuko ignored him completely as he began to stride forward.

Lu Ten and Jee fell into step behind him, in the roles of guards, more of the crew falling into step behind them. Although, looking at the small huddle of people in front of them, all gazing at the ship in terror, Lu wondered who needed guarding: Zuko, or the people who lived here?

A young boy, around Zuko's age, was crouched before the villagers, blue and white war paint on his face, clutching a roughly hewn club. He seemed to be the only protection the tribe had, and that was puzzling: where were all the men?

As Zuko moved closer, the boy let out a yell, a war-cry, Lu thought it was meant to be, although the Water Tribe boy's voice hadn't even broken yet, and charged.

Jee tensed, ready to defend Zuko, but a tiny gesture from Lu held him back. He doubted this boy could do any real damage to someone with Zuko's training, and he was proved right.

In less than a minute, the boy was disarmed, his club flying to the left, the boy himself face-first in the snow to the right. Zuko hadn't even broken a sweat. Lu was glad his helmet hid his grin, but that soon faded as Zuko marched towards the villagers, scanning them all, and began addressing them with his usual tact and diplomacy.

“Where are you hiding him?!” He seized an old woman by the hood of her thick parka, and hauled her forward.

Lu cringed, already on the verge of stepping in- the poor woman looked petrified at being manhandled like this! Before he could do anything, though, Zuko continued.

“He'd be about this age,” Zuko shook the old woman slightly, “Master of all four elements?”

Lu stepped up behind Zuko and 'accidentally' trod on his foot in the same movement, hissing his name in a barely audible voice and shooting him a warning glare that he knew his cousin would sense.

Grudgingly, Zuko released the woman. She fled back to the arms of a young girl, who was now glaring daggers at Zuko.

Lu had only just begun to relax, thinking perhaps the search could continue more peacefully- when Zuko swung his arm outward, releasing a wave of flame over the heads of the villagers, all of whom ducked, crying out in fear once again.

Lu gritted his teeth. _Damn it, Zuko, ever heard of subtlety?_

“I know you're hiding him!” All the pain and frustration of the last three years was present in Zuko's voice, but Lu doubted anyone but him, who knew Zuko well, would be aware of it. To the frightened tribe before them, Zuko almost certainly sounded as if he were threatening them.

The boy who'd attacked before finally extricated himself from the snow, war-paint all but gone. He made a mad dash for the club and charged Zuko again, apparently not caring about the score of other soldiers now assembled nearby.

Lu shook his head as the 'fight' went much as it had before: Zuko used the boy's momentum against him, throwing him aside once again, immediately following that up by throwing fire at him, and Lu made a mental note to throttle him when this farce was over, for using bending against a nonbender. The bizarrely shaped weapon that the boy flung at Zuko missed by inches, sailing off into the distance. Then a literal _child_ of about five years old threw the 'warrior' a spear, with a babylike cry of 'Show no fear!'

Zuko snapped the thin spear to pieces and used the remaining end to jab the boy in the face. Repeatedly.

If it hadn't been so heartbreaking, it would have been funny, Lu thought sadly. He knew that the Southern Raiders had been formed to apprehend the supposedly dangerous Waterbenders of this tribe, and they'd been successful, but... this 'village' was little more than tents, and huts made of ice and snow. Had the Southern Water tribe truly been reduced to _this_ , a pitiful number of people, with a teenage boy and a handful of children their only defenders? It sickened him, to think of yet another people being wiped out by the Fire Nation, just as the Air Nomads had been, a century ago. War took a toll, as a former soldier, Lu knew that, but genocide was never necessary.

Something gleamed in the air, just behind Zuko, but before Lu comprehended what he was seeing, the odd weapon that the Water Tribe boy had thrown earlier came soaring back towards them, striking his cousin in the back of the helmet.

Quickly assessing Zuko, Lu could tell he was only shocked, not injured, by the blow, and, honestly, he struggled not to laugh, glad once again that his helmet hid his face. _Seems the Water Tribe boy has some interesting tricks after all_.

Zuko let out a sound that was almost a growl and conjured two daggers of flame as he rounded on the boy. Lu tensed, fully ready to stop this- there was no need to hurt the boy over a simple matter of wounded pride- when a loud 'Whoosh' and a billow of snow broke the moment.

Something plowed into Zuko's legs, knocking him off his feet, leaving him face first in the snow in front of the village and the soldiers, his helmet, flung off by his fall, landing neatly on his rear.

Lu grimaced. This was just _wonderful_. He had no idea what had just happened, but a scene like this guaranteed Zuko would be in a fouller temper than usual for at least a week- he loathed being humiliated.

Zuko's 'assailant' had apparently been a very strange black and white bird, carrying a passenger. Lu blinked as a small bald boy in orange and yellow robes rode his bird towards the now cheering villagers. He'd seen some strange things in his life, but this ranked among the highest!

The bird stood up with a squawk and waddled away, tossing the boy on his rear in the snow. He didn't seem to care as he cheerfully greeted the Water Tribe boy, and another girl- the one who'd caught the old woman earlier, Lu thought, still trying to work out what was happening.

The Airbender he and Zuko had glimpsed earlier had worn orange garb, but _surely_ this little boy couldn't be him?

Zuko was back on his feet now, and once again Lu quickly checked his cousin over: he was fine, but now even angrier. At a gesture from him, the soldiers formed a circle around Zuko and the bald boy (who for some reason had a large arrow tattooed on his scalp). Lu sighed as he fell into step with them. _More fighting among children._

The boy fell into a fighting stance, just as Zuko had, and promptly swung his staff before him in a sweeping gesture.

Lu was _not_ expecting a billow of snow to follow the movement! When he'd finished choking (and freezing) he saw Zuko using bending to melt snow from himself.

“Looking for me?” The bald boy asked, his voice irreverently cheerful considering the situation.

Zuko glared at the smaller boy. “ _You're_ the airbender? _You're_ the Avatar?”

Lu Ten gaped. _What?_ This... prepubescent _child_ was the Avatar? No. It was absurd. Even if the Avatar was alive, he'd be over a hundred, not a child of eleven (as Lu judged this boy to be.) And yet... the boy hadn't denied it...

Zuko straightened back into a fighting stance, circling the boy warily, as indeed Lu now was. He'd never seen anything like that blast of snow- mind you, that was unsurprising, as airbenders were extinct. Father would probably have thrown his hands up at both of them, while proclaiming 'Well, what did you expect?'

Zuko's focus was now solely on the boy as they circled one another, ready to fight. Lu watched the child warily, in case he tried another sneak attack.

“I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training, meditating.”

 _Obsessing_. Lu Ten added silently. Zuko raised his hands, ready to firebend.

“You're just a child!” Zuko sounded appalled by the very thought.

The boy cocked his head to one side, looking affronted. “Well, you're just a teenager!”

Lu winced, knowing exactly how his cousin would take any suggestion that he wasn't yet a man, and he wasn't disappointed.

Zuko shot fist after fist of flames at the boy, and Lu almost yelled a warning to the child, not wanting him hurt. Except it proved unnecessary- through more staff-twirling, the boy used airbending to dissipate the fire. Lu tried to hide his sigh of relief.

Zuko, with his usual bull-headedness, tried the same thing again. And again, the flames were whisked away on an air current. This time, however, the fire ended up above the villagers watching the fight before flickering out, and the already frightened tribespeople cringed away once again.

Lu couldn't fathom why they hadn't simply fled by now, but an abrupt gesture from the airbender boy drew his gaze.

The child was holding his staff out towards Zuko, his big grey eyes wide and earnest. “If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?”

All the soldiers, with the exception of Lu Ten, had their spears pointed at the boy aggressively. He'd let his drop a little, as he had no intention of using a deadly weapon on a small boy. One word from Zuko, and the child could have been run through, yet he showed no fear.

After a pause, Zuko nodded, and the boy was restrained, his staff taken from him.

A girl from the Water Tribe protested as the airbender was shepherded towards their ship, but Lu Ten barely noticed her, or the boy's comforting replies.

Zuko had stormed ahead, his fists clenched, not even waiting for his cousin to catch up. As he entered the ship, he barked an order. “Set a course for the Fire Nation. I'm going home.”

Lu followed, bringing up the rear of the procession, deep in thought. Home? To the Fire Nation, where Zuko's father and tormentor still held the mantle of Fire Lord? Granted, that had been the 'plan' ever since he'd been here, but Zuko finding the Avatar had always been a distraction, a fairy tale. Had his cousin considered what would happen when he went back to Caldera, with a captive Avatar and a still-alive Lu Ten?

Lu _wanted_ to return home (to beat his uncle into a bloody pulp) but.... his gut said this wasn't the way to do it, with Zuko still so troubled, still believing Ozai had been in the right, and the Avatar turning out to be a little boy, younger than Zuko had been when he'd been exiled.

The look on the tiny Avatar's face as the ship's bow sealed behind them was almost enough for Lu to let him escape then and there.

This was _wrong_. Lu could feel it in his bones. He needed to talk to Zuko once he could get his cousin alone, make him see reason.

This boy, Avatar or not, must _not_ be handed over to Ozai.


	8. Chapter 8

Lu Ten tried to keep the shame he felt hidden as the child-Avatar stood, surrounded by Zuko, Lu and his father (whom Lu had raced to get as soon as they'd left the Water Tribe village) and a large number of their soldiers.

The boy's hands were now bound behind his back, at Zuko's order, despite the child having already surrendered to them, and Zuko was holding the boy's odd staff, examining it closely.

"This staff will make an excellent gift for my father. I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks." He spat at the bound child. Then, turning to his soldiers, he barked, "Take the Avatar to the prison hold," he rammed the staff into his uncle's chest, "and take this to my quarters."

Lu rarely felt the emotion of hatred, the exception being the times he was thinking of beating Ozai to a bloody pulp, but he sometimes did hate Zuko for treating his beloved father so harshly for no reason. Instead of reprimanding Zuko for his rudeness as Lu would have done, though, Father simply handed the staff off to another soldier, cheerfully asking if _he_ would mind taking the staff to Zuko's quarters. Trying to teach Zuko by example, no doubt- which would have worked a lot better if Zuko was paying any attention, instead of already stalking away.

Lu stepped up to the younger prince. "Prince Zuko, allow me to question our assailant before he's taken to his prison cell."

Zuko let out an eternally put-upon sigh. “If you must, Pao. But he stays restrained!” He stomped off without a backward glance, and Lu turned and hurried after the soldiers escorting the boy.

“Wait!”

They paused, and turned in unison, tugging the boy with them. “Sir?”

“Prince Zuko has given me permission to question the prisoner. Take him to the empty berth, for now.” There was literally nothing in the unused room, after all, nothing for the boy to use to escape, but it was marginally more comfortable than the unlit prison hold.

“Yes, sir.” Both soldiers bowed before changing direction, letting Lu lead them. Not for the first time, Lu wondered if some of them suspected who he really was, for he'd long since been treated with respect equal to that his father received, although none of the crew ever challenged him regarding the name he used.

The boy was shoved none too gently into the room, and Lu made sure to give the soldiers a reproving glance- this was a child, not an enemy soldier!- before dismissing them and stepping inside, closing the door behind him.

The boy stood at the back of the room, glaring at him. Lu was sure the boy thought he looked intimidating, but in truth, he looked more like an angry puppy than anything else.

“Are you hurt at all?” The 'older cousin' in Lu's mind took over, speaking first. “I can fetch medical supplies if you need them.” He didn't really think the boy could be hurt- he hadn't seemed to take any blows in the fight, but it was best to check.

The boy shrugged, his expression turning wary. “I'm fine...”

“I'm sorry about... all this.” Lu sighed, leaning against the wall. “The Prince... he's been tasked with... finding the Avatar. It's his sole focus right now and he can lose sight of right and wrong. No-one was meant to be hurt, especially not your friends in the Southern Water Tribe.” He looked the child straight in the eyes, grey meeting brown. “Honestly, I didn't think you even still existed, and to find you're just a child of eleven...”

The boy spluttered indignantly, his cheeks flushing red. “I'm _twelve_!”

Lu held his hands up in apology, holding back a laugh. “Sorry, my mistake.” _Because that makes such an enormous difference_.

“It's OK. Actually, I'm a hundred and twelve, but I don't know if a hundred years frozen in an iceberg counts or not.”

Lu Ten's jaw dropped. “What?!”

The boy shrugged again. “Yeah. I was born right after the last Avatar died. I... got separated from the Air Nomads right before the Fire Nation attacked, got caught in a storm and blown underwater. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the South Pole and learned about the war being waged by the Fire Nation...” The boy trailed off at this point, looking uneasy. “Uh, sorry.”

Lu was struggling to make sense of this, and barely noticed the child's apology for speaking the truth about the Fire Nation.

“Guess I'm not what you all expected to find.”

"How did you manage to survive a hundred _years_ under the water?" Lu asked curiously, though his tone and the skull-faced helmet he wore made it sound more like a demand. "And, if you were born a century ago, why do you still look like an 11-year-old?"

The boy's face morphed into his previous glare at that comment. "I told you before, I'm _twelve_ years old! Not eleven!"

Lu blinked at the angry child, although the small movement was hidden behind his mask. "That's not the point." He shook his head. “Can we start over? My name's Pao.”

Silence followed, as the boy just stared at him.

“And... you are...?”

“Oh! Sorry. My name's Aang. I was just thinking... Pao doesn't sound like a Fire Nation name, more like an Earth Kingdom one.” There was no suspicion in his tone, just honest puzzlement.

Now it was Lu's turn to be uneasy. "I, uh... My mom's from the Earth Kingdom... I'm from the colonies."

The boy- Aang- raised a brow. "What do you mean 'the colonies'?"

Oh, yeah, this child had been literally living under a rock- or ice- for the past hundred years. "There are several Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. There's been a lot of intermarriage."

Aang's face fell. "I had friends in the Earth Kingdom... and in the Fire Nation too." Tears pooled in his eyes. “A hundred years... they'll all be gone by now.”

Lu's own eyes stung at that. “I'm sorry. I've lost people- friends- in the war, but no-one as young as you should have to deal with grief.” And yet, he'd seen with his own eyes, in the village that he'd hidden in after Ba Sing Se, and practically everywhere this ship had stopped on their travels, that _nowhere_ was untouched by the war. Families torn apart, maimed soldiers returning, unable to work, children orphaned and left to fend for themselves...

Aang tried and failed to blink back tears, turning a pleading glance at Lu. "Is _anything_ how it used to be, before the war?"

Lu could only shake his head helplessly. "I don't know. I don't think so. I'm sorry."

"Pao, what does your Prince want with me? He said... he's taking me to his father?"

Lu didn't know how much of his cousin's 'capture the Avatar' mission he should tell to the young boy. So, he decided on a vague answer. "Zu- I mean Prince Zuko was tasked by his father, Fire Lord Ozai, to capture you and bring you back to the Fire Nation."

“So I can help bring a peaceful end to the war?” The hopeful note in Aang's voice stung Lu's heart. He had to turn away, knowing full well that Ozai wanted the opposite of what Aang (and the world) hoped for.

“I don't pretend to know what the Fire Lord wants with you. But, if it helps... I'm sorry you were captured.” Lu turned and prepared to leave the room, unable to bear any more questions he couldn't answer, and unwilling to picture what Ozai might do if he got his hands on this boy.

As soon as he turned his back though, there was a loud 'Whoosh', a heavy weight collided with his shoulders (he shifted his feet, bracing himself instinctively to keep his balance) and something rough grated against the sharp 'horns' on his helmet.

A small foot struck Lu in the back, pitching him forward, and, through the pain of biting his own tongue and cracking his nose on the floor in the fall, he saw Aang somersault over him, yank the door open and race out, leaving Lu staring at the cut rope that, he realized, Aang must have sliced with the sharp parts of his helmet.

If he took a few minutes longer than he strictly needed to to get to his feet and head out to the deck, who would know? Once he was out in the open, he did what any loyal soldier on this ship would do and sounded the alarm, yelling to no-one in particular. “The Avatar has escaped!” Perhaps nobody would hear and Aang would have the sense to leave without creating an enormous scene. Lu had hit his head, after all: Zuko couldn't blame him for muddled wits and delayed reaction time if the Avatar _did_ escape.

Playing up the 'head injury' angle a bit more, Lu wandered aimlessly for a while, listening for any sounds of fighting or explosions, praying he didn't hear any.

Naturally, when he _did_ hear something- loud crashing and yelling- it came from Zuko's cabin. Spirits forbid the Avatar just leave quietly, as Lu had hoped. He raced out to the lower deck, wanting a clear glimpse of the windows of his cousin's cabin. His heart sank as light- from blasts of fire- kept illuminating the windows, then fading. Aang must have gone looking for his staff, and Zuko had been waiting for him.

Lu Ten had taught his cousin military tactics and ambush plans during their years aboard this vessel. At the time, he'd been pleased with Zuko's prowess. Now, he _really_ wished his cousin was a little less skilled at such things.

He watched and listened to the fight, torn on whether or not he should intervene, while the rest of the crew ran around like headless pig-chickens, their boots pounding loudly enough to be heard on deck, looking for the escaped Avatar in all the wrong places. (Father had retired for some rest as they'd headed out to sea. Lu couldn't fathom how he could still be asleep amid all this commotion, but then again, his snoring might well drown out all other sounds.)

The sound of glass smashing made Lu start, and he stared as Zuko and Aang fell from the broken cabin window onto the upper deck, and Aang, bizarrely, tilted his head back and grinned, holding out his arms while _throwing_ his reclaimed staff in a very specific gesture.

Wings snapped out of the staff, and Aang leaped off the balcony, catching the thing with practised ease, riding the wind, clearly about to escape: no-one on this ship had means of pursuing him across the sky. Lu exhaled heavily, feeling no small amount of relief.

Until Zuko likewise flung himself off the balcony, catching Aang by the ankle, dragging him down. The added weight meant they _both_ crashed on the lower deck, winded from the fall.

Zuko, of course, was back on his feet in seconds. Aang stood, getting into a loose fighting stance, but his expression made it clear: he didn't want to fight.

Soldiers were finally pouring onto the deck, but Lu waved them back and began to stride over to Zuko and Aang, intending to simply 'recapture' the Avatar without any need for violence. Hopefully, then, his cousin would go and cool off. Before he reached them, though, a deep animalistic growl sounded from the skies overhead, and everyone on deck looked up, puzzled.

The animal now flying down towards the ship was the strangest (and largest) Lu Ten had ever seen! A ten ton... buffalo? Bison?... wearing a saddle and controlled by reins landed on the deck, letting out a roar.

“What... is that?” Zuko's voice was faint (and lacking the colorful language currently running through Lu's mind.)

“Appa!” Aang crowed, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear.

Lu blinked. This... creature... was some companion of the Avatar? _Please don't let it eat people who threaten its master_.

Zuko, taking advantage of Aang's distraction, launched a firebending attack, forcing the younger boy up onto the ship's railing, making him struggle to keep his balance, not letting up for a second, even when Aang dropped his staff.

Lu had had enough. He marched over to Zuko, fully intending to physically restrain him: he could tell that his cousin was running on utter rage right now, no longer thinking at all, and he was more than willing to hold him still until he calmed the hell down.

Aang _just_ avoided a fireball to the chest, but lost his balance and plummeted into the sea before Lu could get there.

He had Zuko on his knees and pinned in seconds. “I thought you wanted to capture the Avatar, not kill him!” He hissed in Zuko's ear, ignoring his cousin's savage struggles and the expletives he spat at him.

He stared helplessly at the sea where Aang had fallen. The boy had survived underwater for a century, so maybe the spirits would favor him once again...

Apparently they intended to, for within minutes, a huge cyclone of water, many times larger than the ship, burst from the ocean, Aang- with his eyes and tattoos glowing a strange blue-white- directing it.

No-one on deck had any time to react as a wall of water ploughed into them, knocking them all flying and washing Zuko and Lu Ten clean off the ship. Lu braced for an impact with the waves, inhaling deeply and bracing himself, gripping his cousin tightly so they didn't get separated.

Except they weren't falling. Somehow, Zuko had grabbed the end of Aang's forgotten staff, and someone on deck was dragging them back on board.

Lu expected it to be his father or Jee holding the staff, so it was disappointing when it turned out to be the Water Tribe boy from earlier. He made a grab for the railing, hauling himself back on board, while Zuko and the Water boy fought over the staff, reminding Lu of Zuko and Azula fighting over a toy as toddlers, a mental image only strengthened when the Water boy repeatedly smacked Zuko in the face with the staff, causing Zuko to topple backwards much as Aang had not long since.

Lu all but leaped to the edge of the ship, to see Zuko clinging to the anchor chain. Leaning half over the edge himself and reaching out a hand, he helped haul him back onto the deck, ignoring the cries of the soldiers, and the two unfamiliar young voices behind him. Saving his family came first. Dealing with Avatar-induced craziness could wait.

Once Zuko was safely back on the ship, Lu turned to survey the scene behind them.

Inexplicably, several of their soldiers were encased in blocks of ice, the enormous buffalo/bison/cow creature was flying along the deck (passing Father, who'd clearly only just woken and looked extremely confused, standing in a doorway), carrying Aang, the Water Tribe boy, and a girl who could have been his sister.

Zuko lurched to his feet, flinging off Lu's concerned grip on him, wheeling to face the remaining un-frozen soldiers. “ _Shoot them down!_ ” He sounded absolutely beside himself, and promptly took his own orders, shifting into a bending stance.

To Lu's horror, Father was standing beside Zuko now, synchronizing a Firebending move with him, shooting flames straight at the Avatar's beast. Lu could only stand there, paralyzed in disbelief.

Why was his father endangering children this way?

Except, looking at Father's face, it didn't look as if he were overly concerned, more going through the motions: a sharp contrast to Zuko's fierce determination. His gestures were lazy, unhurried, with no real power behind them. Seeing Lu watching, Father managed to, briefly, shift his eyes towards Zuko and make a small 'ssh' gesture, putting his finger to his lips. Lu managed a wry grin. Between his father's laid-back attitude and Zuko's own frustration hampering his cousin's effort, it was unlikely any real harm would be done.

Unfortunately, there was no way for Aang, already a considerable distance away from the ship, to know that the fireblast wouldn't last long enough to harm his mount. He leaped into the saddle, swung his staff, and sent a huge air current towards the fireball, blasting it off course into a nearby cliff.

The collision sent an avalanche of displaced snow and ice crashing down towards the ship. Soldiers scrambled for cover, while Lu Ten flung himself at his cousin and father, knocking them down, shielding them with his own body. Not being a young teenager or an ageing man, but a man in the prime of his youth, he was best suited to protect them, no matter what they thought.

The actual impact of the shattered cliff on the ship was catastrophic: the sound of screeching, crumpling metal was deafening, and the ship shook and bucked like an untamed ostrich-horse, while rocks and chunks of ice larger than a man's head rained down around them.

When it stopped, Lu Ten straightened- slowly- and looked around. Most of the soldiers who'd been on deck seemed unhurt beyond bruises and scrapes: he'd do a full headcount later.

Father stood, dusting himself off, while Zuko was a picture of rage, even now, bent double, breathing too harshly to even stand upright, his face contorted with fury.

Lu decided to keep his distance from Zuko for the next three or four hours.

“Good news for the Fire Lord,” Father said in a conciliatory tone, addressing Zuko. “The Fire Nation's greatest threat is just a little kid.”

Bitterly, Lu nodded. Obviously, Father was phrasing it this way to placate Zuko, and not upset his cousin's erroneous beliefs where Ozai was concerned, but he was sadly right. The returned Avatar was a twelve year old. He would hardly be seen as a threat to Ozai, or a suitable fighter to end the war.

“That 'kid', Uncle, just did _this_.” Zuko stood up straight and gestured to the front of the ship, where the worst of the avalanche had hit.

Lu followed his gaze and almost fell over. The entire front half of the ship was completely buried in ice and rubble. What little of it remained visible was dented and crumpled- it looked as if the snow and ice were trying to chew up the ship!

Lu backed away, scratching his head. _Maybe I should reconsider the possibility of the Avatar being able to defeat Ozai_. If one gesture of Airbending from the young Avatar could cause this, what might he be able to do with all four elements?

“I won't underestimate him again,” Zuko said, darkly. He whirled to face the soldiers. “Dig this ship out and follow them!”

Lu looked at him. _He can't seriously think we can safely capture and contain someone who can do this amount of damage!_ Saying that, though, wouldn't be smart. Better to get his cousin focused on more immediate problems, for now. “Uh, Prince Zuko?” He spoke softly, gesturing towards the still-frozen soldiers that formed most of their troops, and the three Firebenders working to thaw them.

A tinge of red appeared on Zuko's cheeks, making him look like the boy of sixteen he actually was, instead of the adult he usually pretended to be. “As soon as you're done with that.” He finished, the anger in his voice replaced by sheepishness as he made himself scarce.

Lu's lips twitched in a grin, watching his cousin walk to the railing and gaze up at the sky. Despite the disaster they'd just been through, and the extensive repairs the ship would now need, it was little things like this, glimpses of the kind, caring boy that actually did notice the feelings and needs of people other than himself, the boy that was usually hidden beneath Zuko's hardened exterior, that gave him hope.


	9. Chapter 9

Lu Ten groaned, already bored out of his mind. They'd dropped anchor in a Fire Nation dock in the Earth Kingdom (after sailing for miles with a ship barely staying in one piece, thanks to the Avatar), and the crew had already set off to find the supplies they'd need to repair. His father and cousin were going ashore to supervise (and more than likely because they were fed up of being on the ship as Lu was.) He'd wanted to accompany them but Father had dissuaded him, pointing out that he was easy to recognize when standing beside him, and they had no way of preventing any of the Imperial soldiers who served here from alerting someone in the capital about Lu Ten's presence.

He didn't think it was very likely that any random Fire Nation soldier would recognize him, not when Lu Ten had been 'dead' for five years. Given the sheer size of the Imperial Army, no-one who'd known him should be here anyway. But Father hadn't listened when Lu had pointed that out, simply remained adamant that Lu was remaining on board.

Zuko had come up with some nonsense about guarding the ship, but Lu had only snorted at that. Who'd try to steal an outdated old vessel like this, when it was one cough away from falling apart right now, courtesy of Aang?

Thus, he remained alone on the ship, with nothing to do and no-one to talk to. He'd paced through all the halls of the ship hundreds of times in the past three years he'd been on it. What was there for him to do to hopefully keep him from getting bored to death until everyone returned? And just as he was thinking that, a brilliant idea popped up in his mind.

He had, at different times, seen both Zuko and Father scribbling away, almost frantically in Zuko's case, almost routinely in Father's, but Zuko never sent letters. Father did, but he'd never explained who he was writing to or why. Nor did he ever share the contents of the replies he received. Since he was alone, no-one here to catch him, why shouldn't he take a look?

Fine, it was childish to snoop, but maybe he _felt_ like acting immaturely and maybe he _wanted_ to do something for himself for once. Zuko and Father had been gone for over two hours already, longer than they'd said they would be, and it would serve them right if Lu found things they wanted hidden while he was alone.

He went into his father's room first, knowing it would take a while to navigate through all the junk- oh, sorry, 'rarities'- that Father collected to see if there was anything interesting. At first, he was stunned into silence by the sheer volume of items that had been crammed in here. Tea sets, musical instruments, books, statues, Pai Sho sets... it was a wonder there was room for a bed!

Shaking his head at his father's idiosyncrasies, he began poking about. He found nothing to really catch his attention, but some inner neat freak took over and he found himself organizing the clutter: tea sets on the shelves, books stacked at the foot of the bed, musical instruments in the corner, statues lining the walls like sentries standing guard, Pai Sho sets piled neatly on top of the chest that contained Father's clothes.

One of the Pai Sho boards seemed thicker than all the others, and Lu paused in his tidying to examine it curiously. It was an old, well-used board from the looks of it, with an odd decoration of a white lotus embossed underneath the squares used in the game. Shrugging, presuming it was just an antique of some kind, he placed it on the pile of other game boards- and it gave a decidedly hollow 'thunk.'

Picking it up again, something rattled inside, and he noticed tiny, almost invisible latches on one side. After spending a good ten minutes fidgeting with it, Lu pressed on the top and it sprung open with a click. Now _this_ was intriguing.

Inside lay... a letter, written in Father's handwriting, and a stamp, meant for sealing hot wax, engraved with the same white lotus that had been on the board. Ignoring the small voice that said he shouldn't be prying, Lu unfolded the letter. What could Father possibly have to say that needed to be hidden this carefully?

_'Greetings, Amarok._

_I hope things are well in the north, my friend. As you already know, I have been travelling to all corners of the world with my dear sons for some time now. Our journey recently took us considerably further south than usual. I think you would enjoy travelling there yourself (despite the cold). The people would be to your liking, and our visit was certainly something to remember. To my great surprise, an old acquaintance of ours, one who I have not had the honor of_ _hearing from_ _for many, many years, and that I certainly did not expect to see, was also present, but circumstances meant that I had no chance to introduce myself properly. I hope that, the next time we cross paths, I will be able to reintroduce myself with better results. I will keep you informed, though my next letter will likely come via our eccentric mail-loving friend. Until then, I hope you are well and safe. All the best._

 _Jasmine.'_

Nonsense. Complete and utter nonsense. Lu began to wonder if his father was going senile. He'd challenge him about this later. Re-folding the letter, still feeling bemused, he put it back where he'd found it, and finished tidying.

Having done so, he decided he might as well keep being useful, and see if Zuko's room needed straightening. If they didn't like it, they should have left him with something to do!

Slipping into his cousin's cabin, he raised a brow at how orderly it was- he certainly hadn't been this tidy at 16! The bed was made with military precision, all clothing and shoes were stored immaculately in a chest, and there wasn't even dust on the floor! The shelving was empty, save for Zuko's Dao swords, candles for bending practice and the small mirror. There wasn't a single personal item in sight, nothing to make the room _Zuko's_. It had been exactly the same when Lu first arrived. Back then, he'd assumed it was because they hadn't been at sea for long, but now... why didn't Zuko have... books, portraits, trinkets, _things_ to make the room his?

Lu turned in a slow circle. He knew he'd seen Zuko writing letters on more than one occasion but there was no sign of them in here. Sighing, he sat down on the bed- and immediately heard the crackling of paper under the mattress.

 _Well, that was only the most obvious hiding place ever, cousin_. Lu smirked as he knelt and pulled out a surprisingly thick wodge of papers, sitting back on the bed to take a look. The piece of paper on top of the stack was dated just three days ago, after the Avatar had escaped. Lu's curiosity warred with his conscience: why would Zuko write a letter about something so recent?

_'Father.  
The mission you set for me may not be as impossible as I had begun to fear. The Avatar is alive. I couldn't believe it when he was found, I had almost despaired of ever fulfilling your command and regaining my honor. He proved more resourceful than I anticipated, and I regret that I failed once again and he escaped. But, knowing that he lives, I am more determined than ever to capture him. I WILL do whatever it takes to be able to return home._

_Do you and Azula even think of me at all, after so long?'_

Here and there, the ink was smudged. Teardrops, Lu realized, his heart sinking. He set that letter aside, looking at the one beneath. The same date, but this one was meant for someone else.

_'Dear Mother._

_It's been three years now since Father sent me away. I'd searched almost the whole world, trying to finally please him by finding the Avatar. But the Avatar is just a boy, almost the age I was when I failed in the Agni Kai, resulting in my banishment. I know I have to capture him, because it's the only way Father will ever let me return home, so why does it feel like the wrong thing to do?_

_Uncle and Lu Ten don't want to capture him, either, really. They think I didn't see their expressions when I had the boy in my grasp, but I did. They were disappointed in me. I wonder if you would be too, if you knew what's been going on?_

_I can't make them understand, I just want to go HOME. Capturing the Avatar is the only way I'll ever be able to do that, and I just get so angry when they give me those 'looks'. Why don't they see what I want?_

_What do I want, really? To hand a child over to the Firelord, after how he treated me? Not really. It doesn't feel right. But I need to go home. If I can't do that- what CAN I do?_

_What would you do? I wish you were here to help me, Mother. It's been five years since I saw you, and I miss you. So much._

_Why didn't you ever come back? I thought you loved me.'_

The rest of this letter was unintelligible, the ink a smeary mess ruined by (Lu presumed) Zuko's tears.

Lu's own eyes were burning now. How had he and Father never seen how upset Zuko really was, under all that anger? He'd had no idea that Zuko even still _thought_ of Aunt Ursa, since he never spoke of her. The letter also implied Zuko only fixated so hard on going home because he had no idea what to do otherwise. Lu quickly flipped through the stack of papers. All were addressed to either Ozai, Ursa or Azula, going back years. All were smudged with tears. He couldn't bear to read any more, and quickly replaced the letters he'd looked at, replacing the entire pile back under the mattress and quickly neatening the bedlinen. Hopefully, Zuko wouldn't notice that it had been disturbed.

Why in Agni's name hadn't his cousin just _talked_ to them about how he was feeling? They'd tried enough times to get him to open up to them! Heavy-hearted, he left his troubled cousin's room.

Or, he would have done, if Zuko hadn't pushed the door open the exact moment Lu tried to walk through it, resulting in a painful collision.

“Ouch!”

“What are you doing in my room?!”

Both cousins spoke simultaneously, glaring at each other.

“I just came to see if anything needed clearing up,” Lu grumbled, blinking in the hope he'd stop seeing stars from being smacked in the head. “You and Father have been gone for hours, what was I supposed to do?”

Zuko, to his surprise, shrugged. “Fair enough.” He stepped aside, gesturing for Lu to pass him.

Lu Ten only stared.

“What?”

“You stopped shouting at me, and you're almost _smiling_. Who are you and what have you done with Zuko?”

“Ha ha.” Zuko folded his arms. “I'm feeling... better than usual. Besting that worm Zhao in combat helped.”

“Zhao?” Lu racked his brains. The name was faintly familiar. “Wasn't he just a private?”

“He's a Commander now.” Zuko's face darkened. “And he'll be competing with us to capture the Avatar.”

“How- wait, I'm confused. Didn't you go out to oversee repairs? How did that lead to encountering a Fire Nation Commander, and telling him about Aan- uh, the Avatar? And what do you mean, 'bested Zhao in a duel'?”

“He insisted on insulting me, so I challenged him to an Agni Kai.”

“You did what?!” Lu stared at him.

“Relax. I won.”

Lu could've beaten his own head against the wall. When had the once-sacred trial of an Agni Kai turned into the equivalent of a schoolyard fight? But, remembering what he'd recently found in Zuko's room, those heartbreaking letters that would never be sent, he couldn't bring himself to lecture his cousin now. “As long as you're not hurt.”

Zuko shrugged dismissively. “I'm fine. Zhao would have attacked me from behind once I bested him, but Uncle intervened.”

Lu's fists clenched. “Zhao. Did. What.” Had the entire army lost any notion of honor?! To his surprise, Zuko had a small half-smile playing on his lips.

“Uncle said that, despite my exile, I had more honor than Zhao.”

And, from the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes, Lu could see just how much that meant to Zuko, even though he didn't articulate it. Maybe he really couldn't.

Lu swallowed a lump in his throat before squeezing his young cousin's shoulder. “And he was right. Never doubt that, Zuko, no matter what anyone says.”

Zuko nodded, his almost-smile wobbling, then he abruptly barged past Lu, almost pushing him out of the room and shoving the door closed.

The stifled sob he let out almost made Lu go straight back in, to comfort him, but a hand laid gently on his shoulder.

“We must let him have this out with himself, my son.”

Father's voice reminded Lu that he'd wanted to speak to him as well, about that... bizarre letter he'd found.

“I suppose you're right. Sounds as if you had an eventful trip.”

Father chuckled. “You might say that. I imagine you wished you could have been there to see Zuko's triumph.”

Lu shrugged. “I don't know. I've seen enough children in battles lately. Besides, I got a fair amount of work done, straightening up that junkshop you call a bedroom. I had no idea you collected so much. There must've been at least 8 Pai Sho boards. The Lotus one was... interesting.”

There. If he hadn't been watching for it, he might've missed Father's sudden tensing and the wariness now on his face.

Lu arched a brow, folding his arms. “Who's Amarok, by the way?”

Father's face turned grim, and he rapidly glanced around, as if to make sure no-one was eavesdropping. Catching Lu by the arm, he all but hauled him along the corridors, into his own room. He slammed the door before whirling on Lu, who backed up a step, palms raised.

“I was only asking...”

"Did you tell anybody of this, my son?" Father asked worriedly as he locked the door.

“Uh, no. Who would I tell? I've been the only one here most of the day...” _Maybe that letter meant more than I thought, if Father's reacting like this_.

“Where is the letter now?”

“Back where I found it... Father, you.. you're worrying me a little.”

Father took several deep breaths. “I'm sorry, it's just... you don't understand what you've blundered into.”

Lu resisted the urge to scowl. “I would if you'd tell me.”

“It... it's complicated.”

“Most things are. Until they're explained.” Lu spoke pointedly.

“Very well. I will tell you what I can- as long as I have your word that you won't speak of this to anyone who is not involved.”

“Of course.” Lu was getting nervous now.

“Your word, Lu Ten.” Father's eyes were blazing.

Lu raised his hands in a Fire Nation oath gesture. “I give my word I will not reveal any of... whatever this is about... to anyone I shouldn't.” This had to be serious: giving your word, in the Fire Nation, was something that you never went back on.

His father exhaled heavily. “Years ago, when I believed you lost, I became disenchanted with the war, with our nation, and I spent months wandering aimlessly. Eventually, I met a few like-minded men, who had a vision of a different world, one of peace, not war. They were members of an underground group called the Order of the White Lotus...”

Lu Ten could only stare in shock as his father wove his tale. How had no-one ever heard of this movement before? How widespread was it?

Father didn't provide names for who, exactly, was involved in this organization, but he did explain some of the codes they used to communicate, to recognize other members. Unsurprisingly, it involved Pai Sho, and a pattern made on the board that served as identification.

By the end of the explanation, Lu Ten was determined: if this White Lotus group was working to end the war that he now hated, end all the suffering and death on both sides, and to remove his snake of an uncle from the throne, then he was positive about one thing. He met Father's eyes steadily.

“I'm in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone wonders, I made up the idea that the members of the White Lotus use codenames while writing to each other in the name of secrecy. Iroh is Jasmine, because of his fondness for tea, and Pakku is Amarok, a gigantic wolf from real-life Inuit mythology. In this story, Amarok is a spirit recognized by the Water Tribes, an idea I have seen used in two other ATLA fanfictions, 'Bootprints in the Snow' by TheLightdancer, and 'Love Runs Deeper Than Blood' by Hanuko Youkai.
> 
> Also, the bulk of this chapter takes place while Zuko and Iroh are having their first encounter with Zhao.


	10. Chapter 10

Lu Ten grimaced as he fought to keep his Komodo rhino still. Zuko had insisted on purchasing these beasts once they'd gotten word that the Avatar was on Kyoshi Island. Apparently his cousin was determined to make the fiercest impression possible on the island famed for its neutrality in the war. Never mind that Komodo rhinos weren't meant to be kept in enclosed spaces, and transporting them on a ship had been... challenging. Apart from that, the animals were hellishly uncomfortable to ride, something Lu had told Zuko, but as usual his cousin had ignored him. Lu made a mental note to gloat later when Zuko was too stiff and sore to walk.

The ship's ramp lowered and Zuko kicked his mount, leading the way from the boat's hold to the island. Lu Ten, Jee, and the others Zuko had ordered to accompany them followed.

“I want the Avatar _alive_ ,” Zuko practically barked as they reached the streets of Kyoshi Island, which were apparently deserted. He was kicking his komodo rhino, trying to urge it to move faster, with no success.

“I told you, Prince Zuko, these animals are built for endurance, not speed,” Lu murmured, glad that his helmet hid his slight grin. Zuko had probably pictured a speedy chase through these streets, but komodo rhinos lumbered. They did not run.

For his own part, Lu was hoping that the rumors were false and the child Avatar wasn't even here. Zuko seemed adamant that he _would_ capture him this time- it was as if he'd completely forgotten how his last attempt had gone. They'd only finished the last repairs to the ship two days ago!

They made their way along a rocky road, heading from the shore into the main streets of the island. Lu Ten heard a shuffling sound behind a cluster of boulders and sighed sadly, well aware that it had to be someone hiding from the invaders. And, years ago, he'd been arrogant and gleeful about 'visits' like this, believing himself to be on the right side. Now, his heart broke for the fear his nation- and his cousin- sowed in their wake.

Street after street went by, with no sign of anyone. They split up, on Zuko's command, to cover more ground, and Lu found himself patrolling alone, his shoulders slumping more and more at the sight of villagers cowering in their homes, or fleeing the minute they caught sight of him. He wished he could tell them that he meant no harm, but was well aware he wouldn't be believed.

A small figure darted across an alley entrance, just visible out of the corner of Lu Ten's eye. The person froze, and only then did Lu Ten register that he was seeing orange clothing. The Avatar.

Lu glanced around, checking to see if Zuko, or any of the other soldiers, were nearby. Satisfied he was unwatched, he let his gaze keep moving, sliding right over the Avatar as if he hadn't seen him at all, and continuing to ride. His cousin might be determined to catch the Avatar, but Lu Ten had never made any such vow. He reunited with Zuko and the others what had to be the main square, and they halted at the foot of a huge statue- a woman in green robes and elaborate face paint.

Lu Ten, aware of this island's history, led his chin drop a couple of inches, a barely noticeable show of respect for the legendary figure. “Avatar Kyoshi.” His voice was barely a whisper, and could have been mistaken for a simple sigh, but it felt disrespectful to not acknowledge the island's great founder, especially since the Avatar walked the world once again.

“Come out, Avatar!” The frustration at finding little more than a 'ghost town' was clear in Zuko's voice. “You can't hide from me forever!” When there was no reply, he shook his head disdainfully. “Find him.”

The soldiers with them peeled off obediently. Lu Ten hesitated. “Zuko, do you mean for us to break into and ransack every home on the island just to find someone who might not even be here?” He hoped his cousin could hear how absurd and cruel that sounded.

Zuko's fists clenched on his komodo-rhino's reins. “I'll burn this peasants' village down _myself_ if that's what it takes to find the Avatar!”

Well aware that only Father could really do anything with Zuko in this mood, Lu sighed and turned away- just in time to see a figure clad in green robes similar to those depicted on the statue of Kyoshi drop from a snow-covered roof and attack the mounted soldiers, armed with... fans? Cries of shock and the sound of blows being landed suggested more mysterious warriors had engaged their forces, but Lu (and Zuko) were soon occupied by one of the warriors, who all seemed to be female, charging straight at them, again armed only with fans.

Zuko hurled fire at her immediately- clearly, he had taken no notice of Lu's and Father's lectures about using bending against a non-bender. The girl dodged, changing course- and Zuko wheeled his rhino around abruptly. Its tail slammed into the girl, sending her sailing through the air. Another fireball was flung at her- from his cousin's hand. Lu watched, horrified, not hiding his gasp of relief when another warrior in a green dress leaped in front of her fallen comrade, using the fans she held to dissipate the flames. Lu was almost snarling when he whirled on his cousin. “Zuko! You do _not_ attack a fallen opponent!”

Zuko's face turned sullen, but there was a flicker of shame in his eyes. “She's fine.” Was all he muttered in reply.

“You still don't-”

Lu didn't get to finish berating the boy, because yet another of the green-clad warriors (spirits, where were they all _coming_ from?) materialized, springing at Zuko and toppling him off his rhino. Unfortunately, he fell towards Lu Ten, knocking him off balance, which meant they both fell to the ground. Both rhinos bolted, and it was only pure luck that let Lu roll Zuko out of the way to avoid being trampled. He himself took a firm blow to the head, and while, for once, he didn't lose consciousness, the world spun and his vision blurred. Someone (Zuko?) called his name, voice taut with fear, but he couldn't reply.

The next few minutes were incomprehensible. He was dimly aware of seeing Zuko, and more green clad figures, and fire- was his cousin bending _again_?- but he couldn't even turn his head without wanting to vomit, let alone intervene.

“...try, Avatar! But these little girls can't save you!”

Lu Ten's dizziness was slowly wearing off, and he managed to look towards his cousin, confused as to what he was babbling about.

“Hey! Over here!” That wasn't Zuko.

Lu Ten looked up, gritting his teeth against the pain in his head. _No_. The Avatar stood some distance away, his staff held in a fighting stance, his gaze locked on Zuko. Lu could happily have shaken the child right now. He'd deliberately given the boy a chance to flee earlier, so what was he _doing_ , taunting Zuko this way? Surely Aang had to know that Zuko couldn't hold him captive against his will, not after how badly it went the last time.

Zuko, of course, had no idea of his thoughts. “Finally!” A pair of fireballs went hurtling towards Aang.

It took seconds for the Avatar to deflect one fireball, dodge the other, and Airbend so he stood directly in front of Zuko.

Lu Ten edged backwards, hoping it looked as if he was giving the 'warriors' distance to battle, and not at all like he was retreating so he didn't have to watch this.

Zuko, with his own interpretation of logic, decided _not_ to use firebending when it would have been his best option, instead simply kicking Aang's staff out of his hands.

Aang again used airbending to defy gravity, leaping several feet away from Zuko, and snatching up two fans from one of the fallen female warriors.

Lu Ten tensed, already seeing in his mind's eye, the harm an airbender could do with tools _designed_ to move air around.

Zuko was already charging towards Aang like an enraged platypus bear, heedless of the danger.

Aang spun a few times, building a cyclone of air around him, unleashing the full force of it on Zuko, who was caught like a leaf in the wind and smashed into a nearby house.

Lu Ten forgot, then, who was his ally and who was his enemy. He could only see a boy who'd just used an unfair advantage and attacked his cousin, who clearly hadn't been thinking straight. The look he shot Aang was the same one he'd given Zuko earlier, for using bending against non-benders; an expression of anger, sadness and utter disappointment.

It seemed to work better on Aang than it did on Zuko, because the Avatar hung his head in shame, lowering his fans, but Lu hardly noticed; he was already racing over to check on his cousin. _Please don't be badly hurt!_

Luckily, Zuko only seemed stunned, although he'd be sore and bruised later. Nothing seemed to be broken, and he was lucid enough to throw Lu's support off once they were free of the semi-collapsed house and saw the huge sky buffalo/bison (Lu still wasn't sure which it was) flying away from Kyoshi, with the Avatar and his companions on its back.

“Back to the ship!” Zuko yelled at the regrouping soldiers. “Don't lose sight of them!”

They raced towards the docks. Lu Ten followed them, but moved more slowly- his head was still pounding from the rhino-kick, and he couldn't help but grieve for the damage caused by the battle. Numerous buildings were ablaze, and Lu could already tell that the fires were too many and too powerful to stop. This whole village would burn. Hundreds of people would lose their homes and their livelihoods, and for what?

He wanted to grab Zuko, shake him, _make_ him see what his obsession was doing to innocent people, but it would do no good. His cousin couldn't or wouldn't see the people around him. All he could hear was Ozai's command to bring the Avatar back to the Fire Nation.

Lu Ten renewed his promise to throttle his uncle when they met again. He'd have offered reparations to Kyoshi Island, as well, if he could, but right now wasn't the time. He'd speak to Father later, see if any of his connections in the White Lotus (Lu still didn't know who any of the major players were, to his annoyance, despite now being inducted in the Order himself) could help restore the island.

However, as they remounted the rhinos that had been gathered by one of the soldiers who had clearly thought ahead, and began following the obvious shape of the Avatar's flying mount, Lu glancing back and watching mournfully as Kyoshi burned behind them, quite possibly the strangest thing (of that day) happened: an enormous sea serpent reared up, tossed its head around wildly, as if trying to shake something off, unleashed a torrent of water on the burning buildings, thoroughly extinguishing all the fires, and drenching Zuko, Lu Ten and the soldiers to the skin.

The Avatar's bison then swooped down _towards_ the serpent, an orange human-shaped figure was flung into the air, landing neatly on the bison, and the sea serpent dived back beneath the waves with an almost indignant screech.

Lu Ten actually felt invigorated by the blast of cold water, the shock dispelling the ache in his head. He struggled not to burst out laughing at the dumbfounded looks on the soldiers' faces, or the mortified look on Zuko's. He grinned, leaning closer to his cousin, unable to keep from whispering. “Don't worry, cousin, it'll be easier to towel ourselves off than it was to dig our ship out of an avalanche!”

Zuko let out an annoyed growl, exhaling smoke as he angrily turned away without replying.

Really, though, Lu Ten mused, they'd gotten off lightly compared to last time they'd faced the Avatar. Kyoshi Island was safe, and nobody had gotten hurt.

And life was certainly a lot more interesting now than it had been in the last three monotonous years! That thought made Lu Ten chuckle as they all returned to the ship. _Flying bison... an army of beautiful fan-wielding warrior women... sea serpents... I wonder what we'll encounter next in our hunt for the Avatar... bounty hunters? Pirates? Dragons?_


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify, this chapter takes place during 'Winter Solstice Part One: The Spirit World' (Season 1, episode 7) and it's my attempt at explaining why Lu Ten wasn't there when the Earth Kingdom soldiers captured Iroh at the hot springs, and Zuko tracked and freed his uncle. Some liberties have been taken with the Order of the White Lotus, but hopefully it makes sense.

Lu Ten trudged up the road that led to Omashu, having left his komodo rhino tied and concealed some miles ago, on his father's orders to not draw too much attention to himself. He turned the white lotus tile over in his hand, wondering again just how many people were actually _in_ the Order.

After the incident caused by the Avatar on the prison rig, that led to hundreds of earthbenders escaping, Father had told him that many 'junior' members of the Order were meeting in Omashu, to discuss the Avatar and his companions, and how help could be offered- secretly- to the children if it was ever needed. Lu, although worried about leaving Father and Zuko, considering the amount of trouble Zuko had gotten into- and caused- lately, was nonetheless eager to attend, to figure out just how wide-spread the Order was.

Zuko, of course, had been told that Lu Ten was simply off gathering supplies. Father had assured Lu, privately, that King Bumi would provide him with enough supplies that the lie would be a partial truth.

Approaching the thick wall that served as the gate of Omashu, opened and closed only by Earthbenders, he was halted and challenged. Lu quickly used the code phrase he'd been given: “I'm here for the Pai Sho tournament.”

Father had assured him that King Bumi always has at least one guard on the city entrance who knew about the Order. Lu hoped he was right, because if not, he was going to be in trouble, very soon.

One of the guards stepped forward, eyeing Lu warily. “I have some interest in Pai Sho myself. The game grows ever more popular, although the ancient ways fade.”

Recognizing the code, Lu fidgeted with the white lotus tile he held, making sure this particular guard saw it.

An eyebrow rose, and the guard slowly nodded. “I see... one who favors the white lotus gambit. Interesting.” He turned to his fellow guards, instructing them to remain here, while he escorted Lu into the city.

Lu Ten had no idea how common this was, but neither of the non-Order member guards seemed bothered as he was shepherded into Omashu. Once they were alone, the guard turned to him with a smile, which Lu returned more cautiously.

“Welcome, brother.”

Beyond that greeting, the man didn't talk much as he ushered Lu through the winding, hilly streets of Omashu, although he did explain that the numerous chutes that were literally everywhere served as a mail-delivery system. He also said that King Bumi also used the chutes as a form of slide, when he felt like it, but Lu highly doubted that: King Bumi was even older than his father, surely he had more dignity and sense than to behave like a child? The guard had to be messing with him, to see if he could get him to say something stupid in front of King Bumi, no doubt. He wouldn't fall for it.

Eventually, Lu was led to a large meeting hall not far from the palace. The guard showed him in, then left to return to the gates. The hall itself was sparsely decorated, empty except for a few old Pai Sho boards dotted here and there, dusty and clearly rarely used, and a tall stage backed by two solid granite doors, at the far end of the room. The hall was fuller than Lu Ten had expected, with scores of people here, people clad in Earth Kingdom colors for the most part, but to his shock, there were at least two people in Fire Nation garb!

He made sure to keep his face turned from them: he'd come here as 'Pao', dressing in garb similar to what he'd worn while living in the Earth Kingdom village years ago, and he didn't want to be recognized. Not yet.

Leaning back against a pillar, he let the babble of excited voices around him sink in, listening to what was being discussed.

“-Avatar-”

“...just a child...”

“...knew King Bumi...”

“112...”

“... destroyed a prison rig...”

“...rides some kind of flying cow...”

“...travelling with a waterbender from the South Pole...”

That comment made Lu start. He'd known there were children travelling with Aang but there were no more southern waterbenders... were there? As he understood it, the Southern Raiders had killed the last one six years ago, as appalling as that was. Could the young girl or boy from the South Pole really be a waterbender? If so, whichever of them it was, they needed to be protected from the Fire Nation as much as the Avatar did. He'd have to mention this possibility to Father when they met up again in a day or so.

Without warning, the doors that led onto the dais slammed open, and, amid gasps, an enormous... creature burst onto the stage, making everyone gathered below fall back. Lu Ten went for the one dagger he carried instinctively- he didn't know what this thing was, but it didn't look friendly!

Maniacal laughter sounded from the beast, and it took a second for Lu to realize that it wasn't the creature making the sound, but the ancient-looking man who was... riding on its back?

The man in question was draped in silk robes, and a lopsided crown sat on his head. His hair stuck out in every direction, and his less-than-sane grin split his face, showing several missing teeth. In a gymnastic display that defied his age, he leaped from the beast's back and landed on the stage, instantly creating a throne for himself out of rock.

Earthbending, Lu realized, but without the use of hand or arm movements. King Bumi was said to be capable of that, and he'd volunteered to preside over this gathering of the junior members of the Order, but surely this... eccentric man could not be the King of Omashu?

Yet evidently he was, for as he sat on the throne, the slavering drooling... whatever-it-was squatting peacefully at his side, the crowd calmed down and almost as one, moved towards the stage, ready to listen. Lu, still feeling bemused, just went with it, thinking that Father could at least have warned him that King Bumi was a lunatic!

The meeting went fairly smoothly, if the gossip and wild rumors about the Avatar were ignored. Bumi, unfortunately, did little to quell such nonsense- in fact, he often added to it by telling tall tales of Aang's youth, over a century ago. Eventually, though, to Lu's relief, things _did_ progress and discussions were had about keeping an eye out for the Avatar's flying bison, tracking any sightings so he could be kept under supervision of sorts, and how each of them could best support the Avatar and his companions, should they cross paths in the future.

Bumi had looked straight at Lu at that point, his surprisingly astute eyes boring into him, but luckily no-one else seemed to pick up on it. Once the meeting had been declared over, however, and the attendees were filing out, Lu hung back, remembering that he was supposed to acquire some supplies from Bumi to help sell his half-truth about leaving to purchase food and essentials for the ship. He expected Bumi to simply call him over.

Thus, the giant... thing that Bumi kept as a pet plowing into him and bathing him in its drool took him completely by surprise.

Bumi cackled, snorts mingling with his laugh, as he used an enormous rock, propelled by his earthbending, to skate over to Lu Ten at an alarming speed. “Flopsy likes you!” He announced in a delighted tone.

Lu tried and failed to wipe the ropes of drool from his face and hair. “...I'm honored.”

“You should be!” Bumi waggled a finger in his face. “Took weeks for him to trust your father when they first met, after his whole jaunt into the spirit world.”

Lu caught his breath, stunned. “Father... entered the _spirit world_?” How? Why?! It was forbidden for humans, not to mention, supposedly impossible for anyone except the Avatar.

Bumi waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, it was years ago, when he was trying to track down and bring back your spirit. Of course, we know now why it never worked- you weren't dead!” He broke into peals of laughter again, elbowing Lu in the ribs as if all this was utterly hilarious.

Lu forced himself to chuckle, mentally filing this conversation away to question Father about later, and glanced around for a way to change the subject. “Your Pai Sho boards look rather... used. Don't outsiders get suspicious about a tournament that never needs new boards or pieces?”

Bumi's face twisted in what could have been boredom or displeasure. “Bah. I only keep those things to keep up appearances. I don't even like Pai Sho. Dull game, no real fun in it. Don't know why your father and those other fuddy-duddies like it so much.” His eyes gleamed. “If you want something _really_ fun to do, you can come ride the mail chutes with me.”

Something in Bumi's eyes suggested this might not be a good idea. However, the king folded his arms. “One ride, and I'll give you all the supplies you need to take back with you.”

He was meant to be providing supplies anyway! Lu considered pointing that out, but then, really, Bumi was over 100 years old. The mail chutes looked steep, but if someone over a century old could ride them safely, how bad could it really be? He shrugged. “Deal.”

Bumi's mad grin grew wider.

* * *

Several hours later, Lu Ten staggered out of Omashu, laden with bags of supplies, his uneven gait only partly because of the load he bore. When he finally reached his komodo rhino, his legs gave out. _I am never, ever, taking Bumi's advice on fun, ever again._

Still feeling shaky, he tied the bags onto the rhino, and mounted, riding slowly at first, until his nerves recovered. He intended to ride back to where the ship had docked, though he'd be camping out for at least one night, but his rhino apparently had other ideas. Halfway there, it put its nose to the ground, sniffed intently, then set off in a different direction. Lu was about to pull it back on course when he realized what had caught its attention: another set of komodo-rhino tracks, overlaying what could have been ostrich-horse prints. The only komodo rhinos around here- that Lu knew of- were the ones his cousin had purchased. Warily, he followed the tracks, muttering his annoyance. “Honestly, Zuko, what have you gotten yourself into _this_ time?”

An hour or so later, the clear sounds of a fight reached him, and he tensed. Crashing, yelling, the unmistakeable 'whoosh' of flames...

By the time he'd tracked the fight to its source, it had apparently just ended. Lu Ten could only gape at the scene.

His father and Zuko stood amid a pile of defeated, groaning Earth Kingdom soldiers. Zuko had one of Father's sandals in his hand, and Father, for some reason, was only wearing his smallclothes, though he was dressing now.

Lu looked slowly from one to the other, shaking his head. “...Do I even want to know?”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold text is the spoken language of the Fire Nation, as opposed to the common speech spoken by most of the characters normally.
> 
> This chapter takes place during 'The Waterbending Scroll'. I've skipped 'Winter Solstice' because I couldn't think of anything reasonable for Lu Ten to do during that incident- he couldn't show himself in the Fire Nation at Roku's temple, so I just referred to the incident without showing it.

Lu Ten's grin nearly split his face as he walked along the dock, tilting his head back to feel the sun on his face. “Spirits, does it feel good to be off the ship for a while!”

Zuko frowned at him. “We haven't been at sea _that_ long.”

“You mean you haven't. Some of us didn't get to slip ashore into the Fire Sages' temple and-”

“And almost die when its creator destroyed it?”

Lu Ten gave his cousin a reproving glance. “That's kinder than what the Firelord would have done if you'd been arrested. I hope you realize, Zuko, how lucky you were not to be captured, violating your exile that way.” Although, the idea of Roku manifesting in his temple was incredible, and Lu kind of wished he'd seen it.

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Don't start again. I've heard this a hundred times from you and Uncle already. I wasn't captured, and it was a waste of time because the Avatar escaped. Again. So can we just drop it?”

Lu held his hands up. “Fine, fine. Agni forbid you learn something from it.” He rolled his eyes.

“Where _is_ Uncle, anyway? How long can it take to find a single Lotus tile?” Zuko folded his arms. “We've been here for hours!”

Lu looked away. Of course, Zuko had no idea that 'shopping for a new white lotus tile' was code for 'gathering messages from Order members'. He'd been tasked to distract his cousin, but Father was really pushing his luck, taking as long as he was. Thankfully, Zuko spotted Iroh at that very moment, and strode over to meet him.

Father's face was troubled, and Lu wanted to ask him why, but had to be careful of his words with Zuko present, and while they were in public like this.

“I've checked all the shops on this pier.” Father sighed dramatically. “Not a single lotus tile in the entire marketplace.”

Zuko scowled. “It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for _everyone!”_

Lu Ten would normally have scolded Zuko for his rudeness, but he was too focused on his father's words: 'Not a single lotus tile in the entire marketplace'. Did that mean there was no news, or- more worryingly- that no informants had checked in lately? He lost his train of thought, however, when he saw several of their ship's crew carrying armfuls of... assorted junk.

“Quite the contrary,” Father was saying cheerily. “I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!”

“You bought a Tsungi horn?” Zuko stared at the largest item in this new haul in disbelief.

“For music night on the ship. Now, if only we had some woodwinds...”

“We don't have music night on the ship.” Lu interjected, walking to catch up with Father, who was already striding towards an unusual looking galleon.

“We do now.” Father grinned. “Prince Zuko was quite skilled with the Tsungi horn a few years ago. I'd hate to see his talent wasted.”

Lu turned to Zuko and blinked. “I don't remember you playing...”

“That's because I don't. Ignore him.”

“Nonsense, Nephew, you'll be fine once you get back into practice. It'll be a good way to bond with the crew, let them see a friendlier side to you.”

Lu nodded. “It does sound like fun. Better than sitting around idly every evening. The ship is too quiet. Maybe music would help...”

“No! It's my vessel, I'm in command, and we are _not_ having music night on the ship!”

Father ignored Zuko completely, striding up the gangplank of the galleon. “This looks promising.”

“We really don't need anything else.” Lu muttered, but followed him nonetheless, Zuko trailing after them, grumbling under his breath.

The ship had to belong to pirates, because the room was jam-packed with weird and wonderful expensive items from all corners of the Earth. Father was eyeing a bronze monkey statue with rubies studding its eyes and mouth.

“Oh, that is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley, Pao?”

Lu hesitated- should he be honest, or lie to spare his father's feelings? “It's certainly... unique,” he hedged, while thinking that the thing was, quite frankly, creepy.

“Excellent! We'll take it!”

Lu rolled his eyes and walked away while Father paid the 'trader' for the ugly statue. Zuko was wandering the shelves, looking at nothing in particular.

Two more pirates, both with sour expressions, were grouped around the central table. “We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with.” One of them stated, almost apologetically, to the other.

Lu Ten and Zuko both whipped round on hearing that.

“This monk- did he have an arrow on his head?” Zuko demanded.

Lu couldn't believe it: the Avatar, _again?_ Did the spirits _want_ Zuko to capture him? It seemed, even when his cousin wasn't actively hunting the boy, that Aang went out of his way to stumble into their lives! He looked to his father for help- he'd talk Zuko down, right? Every time they actually crossed paths with the Avatar: at the South Pole, on Kyoshi Island, and most recently, at Roku's temple, it had ended badly. So far, Zuko hadn't been seriously hurt, but his luck couldn't hold forever. And now Zuko would stoop to making deals with _pirates_ to find Aang?

Father, however, was too busy imitating the facial expression of his new monkey statue (for some reason), and appeared to be taking no notice of Zuko and the pirates' discussion. Lu Ten strode over, interrupting just as he heard the pirate captain agree to... something. At least, he'd said 'Deal' and he and Zuko were now shaking hands.

Lu groaned and dragged his stupid cousin away from the table. “What did you just do?” He hissed in his ear.

Zuko shrugged violently, throwing Lu's hand from his shoulder. “One of the Water tribe peasants stole a valuable waterbending scroll from these men. I've agreed to let them reclaim it if they help us find the Avatar.”

“Just when I thought you couldn't make any stupider decisions! Every time, you prove me wrong.” Lu lowered his voice to a whisper. “You can't trust pirates, Zuko! They'll turn on us the second it suits them.”

“I know that! We only have to get them to co-operate until we find the Avatar!”

To Lu Ten's amazement, his father backed Zuko up. “If nothing else, this temporary alliance will give us a firm location to re-start our hunt for the Avatar.” His eyes were locked on Lu's, and the younger man understood what he really meant: if these pirates, for whatever reason, were targeting the Avatar and his Water Tribe friends, it was better that they had some say in how and when they were found.

Pirates, after all, wouldn't care one bit about the war, or restoring balance to the world. The one and only thing men like this lived for was profit.

“I hope we don't regret this.” Was all Lu said in response as he stalked away. They were Fire Nation royalty, exiled and in disguise or not. It chafed to have to deal with low-life scum like these pirates. The villagers in the Earth kingdom had been one thing: they were good, honest, hard-working people. This, though?

It didn't feel right, whatever his father's reasoning for supporting Zuko's latest mad scheme. Just how far would his cousin go in his obsession for capturing the Avatar?

* * *

Hours later, as night was falling, one of the small river-boats from their ship was trundling along, the pirates' galleon right beside it. Zuko and the pirate captain, whose name Lu hadn't even bothered to ask, were on the riverboat with Lu himself and his father, The rest of the pirates remained on their galleon.

Lu had studiously avoided all of them, except when warning them off stealing from their ship. Zuko, however, seemed to feel no distaste in their presence: right now he stood at the prow with the captain, discussing the route they should take.

Father was standing some distance away from all of them, gazing out at the riverbank. Lu Ten moved to his side, speaking in a low whisper.

“Remind me again why we need their help? We could find the Avatar alone, and honestly, I know why you went along with this mad idea, but I'm pretty sure the Avatar could fend off pirates without our help. After what we've seen him do...”

Father raised a brow. “And how are you going to convince Zuko to change his mind?”

“Well...” Lu finally voiced something that had been troubling him for a while now, though he'd barely admitted it, even to himself. “Father, you and I both outrank Zuko by birth, regardless of the position Ozai now holds! You _let_ him order you around, b-”

“Because his rank as prince, the belief that he might one day reclaim it, is all that keeps him going!” Father spoke quietly, as Lu himself had been, but with fervour in his tone. “If you or I pulled rank on Zuko by right of birth, remind him he is only entitled to the title he fights so hard to return to because Ozai usurped the throne, how do you think he'll react?”

“I...”

Father gripped his shoulders, pulling him down to his level. “If we force that knowledge on him, make him accept it, it could break him. Is that what you want?”

“No, of course not!” Hurting his cousin was the last thing Lu wanted to do, no matter how infuriating Zuko could be at times. “But... first he has us attack Kyoshi, which could turn an island that's always been neutral in the war against the Fire Nation. He risked his own life by breaking the terms of his exile, now he'd have us deal with cutthroats and thieves? What next? When do we tell him 'enough'?”

Father was frowning, probably trying to think of a reply that would satisfy Lu, but their whispered argument was cut short by the riverboat halting and dropping anchor. Giving his father a look to indicate this wasn't over, Lu followed everyone ashore in silence, making sure to keep his distance from the pirates (and from Zuko, so he didn't say something he regretted) as they began searching the woods.

Raised voices, and scuffling, caught Lu's attention some time later. Following the sounds, his heart sank.

Zuko had the Water Tribe girl tied to a tree, the pirates grouped in a loose ring around them. It was odd, though: ten pirates, at least, had accompanied them into the forest, but only half a dozen stood here now. Where were the others?

Father stood close to the girl, his expression troubled. From his stance, it looked like he was guarding the girl from the pirates, much to Lu's relief. One of them, however, standing on the opposite side of the tree, out of Father's line of sight, was eyeing the girl lecherously, his gaze roaming her body. Lu Ten made a point of moving between that _filth_ and the girl, blocking his view.

Zuko, meanwhile, was staring her down, no doubt trying to be intimidating. “Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother.”

Lu stepped towards his cousin, fully intending to inform him that he wouldn't be hurting _anyone_ for information, not caring who heard his words, but the girl's face twisted in a snarl, and she spoke before Lu could. “Go jump in the river!”

Zuko's aggressive tone immediately softened, becoming almost persuasive. “Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor.”

Lu gave him a sidelong glance. Zuko never spoke that gently, to anyone. Hm, could it be that his cousin had finally found a girl that caught his eye? Ironic that it happen now, with a girl that Zuko insisted on making their enemy, although, he admitted, she _was_ very pretty, and around Zuko's age, maybe a year or so younger, a similar age to Azula...

Zuko, oblivious to Lu's thoughts, continued addressing the girl. “Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost.”

Lu glanced at his father, who shrugged, clearly as baffled as he was about Zuko's meaning.

Zuko held out a pendant of some kind, a carved blue-white stone on a deep blue ribbon. Stepping around the tree, he slipped the ribbon around the girl's neck, so the necklace rested on her throat, but he still held it.

The girl gasped, her face creasing in a mixture of relief and pain. “My mother's necklace! How did you get that?”

Lu Ten glared at his cousin. That was an excellent question. The necklace belonged to this girl's _mother?_ And, judging by the tears in her eyes now, aforementioned mother was no longer alive. How did Zuko have something that was obviously important to the girl, and how _dare_ he hold it ransom like this?

“I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering.” Zuko sounded defensive- for about one second, then his typical hostility took over. “ _Tell me_ where he is.” He pointed at the girl aggressively.

“No!” There was so much venom in the girl's voice now, Lu was amazed she hadn't spat in Zuko's face. He certainly would have, if someone was taunting him with one of his late mother's possessions like this.

The gruff voice of the pirate captain broke the tension. “Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised a scroll!”

“I wonder how much this is worth ...” Zuko brandished the scroll, holding it above a palmful of flames. (The necklace had vanished, though Lu had no idea who had it now- hopefully the girl did.)

Zuko's lips twitched in a humorless smile as the pirates protested the threat to the supposed Waterbending scroll. “A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here!”

“Fine.” The captain groused as they all dispersed once more.

Zuko remained standing by the girl, as did Father. Lu Ten, disregarding the girl's presence, marched straight over to Zuko and shook him, hard, berating him in the Fire Nation tongue to keep their conversation private.

“ **You use the belongings of someone's deceased parent to blackmail them with now?!** ”

Zuko bared his teeth in a snarl. “ **I already said, I found it, I didn't steal it! It was on that Earthbender prison rig. I knew it had to belong to one of the Water Tribe, so I brought it in case it was useful**.”

“ **For blackmail**.” Lu didn't even try to keep the scorn from his voice, willfully ignoring his father's 'Stop this' glower.

 _How would Zuko like it if someone used something of Ursa's against him?_ Lu Ten seethed as he paced back and forth, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself before he could say something that horrible to his cousin, just managing to keep his anger in check. _All these years, you've chased your honor, cousin. But this is the first time you've acted in a way that suggests you lost it in the first place._ He bit his tongue to keep from saying _that_ out loud to Zuko- that really would destroy him, and Lu knew it. He let out a deep sigh. “ **Give it back to her, cousin. It isn't yours to keep, and you know it.** ”

For just a second, uncertainty flickered in Zuko's eyes, and he looked truly vulnerable and scared. Father, meanwhile, looked like a dragon protecting his young- eyes blazing and literal smoke curling from his nose as he skewered Lu with his eyes, silently commanding him to back off _now_.

Before the moment could continue, however, the rest of the pirates charged into the clearing, dragging the Avatar and the Water Tribe boy, both trussed up in nets.

Zuko's uncertainty vanished in a heartbeat and he turned away from Lu Ten as if he'd never heard his words at all. His focus was once again on the Avatar, totally blanking Lu and his father out, acting as if they didn't even exist, as he addressed the pirates. “Nice work.”

The still tied-up girl looked guiltily at the Avatar. “Aang, this is all _my_ fault.”

Aang shook his head. “No, Katara, it isn't.”

Katara. Lu made a mental note of the girl's name- you never knew what information might be useful, after all.

Father shrugged, a little uneasily. “Yeah, it kind of is.” He had a point- she must have been wandering alone, away from her brother and the Avatar, in order to be captured, but 'all her fault'? Hardly.

Zuko was still acting as if only he, the captives, and the pirates were there. “Give me the boy.”

The pirate captain folded his arms and scoffed. “ _You_ give _us_ the scroll.”

And here was the trouble Lu Ten had expected from the start of this madness. He stepped forward, subtly moving into a firebending stance, gesturing at the few soldiers with them to be ready, just in case.

The Water tribe boy looked from Zuko, to the pirates. He sounded amazed when he spoke. “You're really gonna hand over _the Avatar_ for a stupid piece of parchment?”

Zuko's fists clenched. “Don't listen to him, he's trying to turn us against each other!” He blurted, making it far too obvious that he was getting desperate, knowing he was losing control of this situation. Lu had to give the Water boy credit for his 'divide and conquer' strategy, if nothing else.

The captain was now examining Aang. “Your friend is the Avatar?”

The water tribe boy (Lu really wished he knew his name, it'd make things easier) nodded enthusiastically. “Sure is, and I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll.”

Zuko rounded on him. “Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!”

Iroh murmured a soft 'Language' to Zuko, trying to calm him, no doubt. Lu decided to let that comment go- he'd already been struggling to keep harsh words in check, better to keep quiet until he was calmer.

Aang was nodding in agreement with Zuko, for obvious reasons: he wouldn't want to be handed to the pirates _or_ to Zuko. “Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth.”

Sokka. The Water boy's name was Sokka. Lu added the name to his mental list- it was better to refer to someone by name than by the tribe they came from, after all.

Sokka continued blithely. “I'm just sayin' it's bad business sense. Think how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life.”

Lu Ten stared at him: it was starting to come across as if this boy actually _wanted_ the Avatar captured. Unless he had some incredible plan to get out of this mess, then this would either end with the Avatar being sold by pirates, or captured by Zuko.

The pirate captain laughed in Zuko's face. “Keep the scroll; we can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid.” Signalling his men, they all turned to leave, taking the two captive boys with them.

Lu Ten didn't even need to look at his father to know what to do next: the pirates could _not_ be allowed to leave with the Avatar. In unison with Zuko's pronouncement of “You'll regret breaking a deal with me!”, Lu sent spurts of flame towards the pirates. Zuko and another soldier followed suit, and the pirates threw smoke bombs in retaliation, making it almost impossible to see, let alone fight.

People were reduced to indistinct blurs in the fog, with voices coming from everywhere, and more than once Lu had to pull up short to avoid attacking an ally. He had no idea where Zuko, Father, the Avatar or his friends were right now. It was utter chaos. At one point, Lu found himself face to face with Sokka, the Waterbending scroll that the pirates had wanted lying on the ground, equidistant from both of them.

Lu met the boy's startling blue eyes and took a slow, deliberate step back, surrendering the scroll- either Sokka or Katara was a waterbender, after all, so really, it was theirs by right, and he certainly had no use for it. Leaving the boy to his prize, Lu retreated into the thinning smoke, looking for his own people.

Eventually, he spotted his father, trying to break up a fight between Zuko and the pirate captain, looking thoroughly fed up with both of them.

With a grunt of effort, he thrust them apart. “Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?”

Zuko glared at him. “We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!”

Lu Ten, however, was following his father's gaze, and chuckled under his breath at what was happening. _These children certainly are resourceful._ “It's no proverb!” He just managed to say without laughing, pointing to the Avatar and his friends, who had hijacked the pirate ship and were sailing away.

The captain realized what was happening, and his face fell. “Bleeding hog monkeys!” Forgetting Zuko entirely, he sprinted off.

Zuko let out a rare laugh at that, which soon cut off. The pirates were following their stolen vessel- in _Zuko's_ riverboat. Lu Ten let out a loud curse of his own as the pirates taunted them.

Zuko's anger had him literally giving off steam. “Hey! That's _my_ boat!” He tore off after it. On foot. He'd never catch up, he had to know that, but there was no other choice- the boat was the only means of transportation they had.

Father rubbed his chin thoughtfully, still ruminating on his earlier words. “Maybe it should be a proverb ...”

Lu gaped like a fish. “Really? _That's_ your priority right now? Come on!” He grabbed Father's wrist and sprinted off after Zuko, following the echo of his cousin's “C'mon, Pao, Uncle!”

They caught up to Zuko staring over the top of a cliff, a look of horror on his face. It took Lu Ten a minute to realize why: the riverboat had just gone over the falls, effectively leaving them stranded in the forest, with miles to walk to reach their ship _._

“My boat!” Zuko just kept staring, like he expected it to somehow reappear and get them out of this mess.

Father, unbelievably, chuckled. “Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this. That lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!” He was grinning from ear to ear as he held the tile up proudly. Lu chalked that up to either a _very_ poor attempt at finding humor in this disaster, or just hysteria, and decided not to respond.

Zuko snatched the lotus tile and furiously threw it over the waterfall. “What good would a stupid game tile do us now?!” He exploded. “We've stuck in the middle of nowhere, with miles to hike until we reach my ship, and all for nothing, because the Avatar escaped. _Again!”_

Lu Ten slapped Zuko up the back of the head- a far milder venting of his anger than he'd almost shown earlier. “Yes, terrible, isn't it? Almost as if _someone_ made a deal with a bunch of rogues who they should never have trusted, and had no plan to get us out of trouble if something went wrong!”

Zuko opened his mouth to retort, closed it again, then went scarlet. “Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Trusting the pirates was stupid.”

“Understatement,” Lu muttered, but his rage was ebbing- he could never remain truly angry for long. He elbowed Zuko playfully, to show he didn't really have any hard feelings. “Consider it a life lesson: never trust anyone who makes a living from stealing or assassinations.”

“If you boys are finished bickering, can we make our way out of here?” Father interrupted, glancing from one to the other, his expression a very clear 'I dare you to resume arguing'. “Apart from anything else, we have some shopping to do. Now I really _do_ need a new white lotus tile!”

Zuko's exasperated sigh could have been heard in the North Pole. Lu Ten couldn't keep from laughing as the three of them began trudging back upriver, towards the small market at the docks.


End file.
